


How to Fail at Dating a Superhero

by emerald_moons



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Dorks in Love, F/M, Identity Reveal, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-24
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-07-16 22:26:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7287178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emerald_moons/pseuds/emerald_moons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It all started when Adrien Agreste bid on Ladybug at an auction and won a date with her. At least, that's how it was supposed to go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bidding Wars

Chat Noir was _so dead_.  
  
When Chat brought the flyer for the charity auction to her last month, she had thought it was sweet. Who knew her silly kitty had a heart for charity? Once he persuaded her to say yes, he’d bounced off the roof, shouting over his shoulder that he would handle all the details.  
  
Apparently letting Chat “handle the details” meant standing on the stage as young bachelors with too much money bid on who got to go on a date with Ladybug. As the price tag rose, Ladybug’s eyes bugged out, frantically trying to figure out how she could possibly be interesting enough for the thousands of euros being thrown at her. Chloe had even put her hand into the race, until stares provoked her to loudly renounce that it was only a best friend date she wanted, though the blush on her cheeks made Ladybug do a double take.  
  
While Ladybug stood prim through the bidding, Marinette thought she couldn’t sink into the floor more. She added to the list of reasons for Chat Noir to meet an early death: deserting her once he’d been bid off to a pretty politician’s daughter (she was not jealous of the girl, she wasn’t).  
  
All thoughts of Chat Noir wiped blank from her mind when heard a new, familiar voice join the fray: Adrien Agreste.  
  
_Ahhhhhhhh_.  
  
Ladybug’s hand flew to her mouth to make sure she didn’t let out any embarrassing shrieks of delight. The bidding continued on, but whenever she thought someone was about to win out, Adrien, gorgeous Adrien, threw his hand in the air. He had a wicked grin on his face — so dreamy — that spoke to his confidence. The numbers coming out of his mouth made her wince, but what did that matter _when Adrien Agreste wanted to go on a date with Marinette_.  
  
Ladybug.  
  
Whatever.  
  
The pool of competition suddenly shrunk to two, Adrien versus a finely dressed son of a business conglomerate owner. Adrien walked up to his competition with the easy swagger of a long-time model, the crowd parting before him and his silent, looming bodyguard.  
  
“Hello Léon,” Adrien said conversationally, then called his latest bid to the auctioneer.  
  
“Adrien Agreste.” Léon bit out.  
  
“I thought I heard you were cut off from your maman’s money?” Adrien replied with a dangerous cheshire-like grin that seemed better suited for Chat Noir than Adrien. Actually, it sounded a lot more like Chat Noir did too, because that - was Adrien being _rude_? “Wouldn’t it be terrible for the charity to come collecting and find out that this was all a facade to meet our lovely lady superhero? I don’t think my– Ladybug would like that very much.”  
  
Dawning on her what was happening, Ladybug crossed her arms and tried to look menacing when the crowd glanced back her. The kid Léon deflated, eyes flashing angrily as he stormed off. Adrien beamed in her direction and Marinette felt herself melting on the spot.  
  
Suddenly a microphone was thrust under her nose and she blinked. “Well, Ladybug, looks like we have your date, none other than Adrien Agreste! What do you have to say to that?”  
  
A pinched squeak emitted from her mouth.  
  
The auctioneer pulled back the microphone with a chuckle, “Well, even Paris’ resident superheroes get a little star-struck occasionally! That’s it folks — here ends the auction.” He continued on, explaining how the checks should be made out and how to collect on their prizes, but Marinette had eyes for Adrien only. He made a beeline toward her, an eagerness in his eyes that reminded her of Chat Noir when he was about to make a dumb comment about Ladybug being puurfect.  
  
Right. She guessed Chat Noir only deserved a whomp on the head now.  
  
“H-Hi Ladybug.” Adrien said, sounding strangely out of breath. He coughed into his fist, and then gave her a sheepish smile. “Sorry about the… theatrics out there.”  
  
Marinette was struck silent. Should she call him Adrien or did that sound too familiar? Mr. Agreste just made her thinking of his father… quick, talk Marinette!  
  
She stuck out her hand, grinning, “Pleasure to meet you Adrien.”  
  
“Oh, uh,” Adrien stuttered, shaking her hand with a firm grip. The handshake went on a little too long before they pulled back. “We’ve actually met before, Ladybug.”  
  
“Oh!” Ladybug said, hitting her forehead with the palm of her hand. “Of course, I remember. Nice to meet you, again, then. Shall we, uh, decide on a time to meet for our—” The word date choked in her mouth, but she was saved by a booming voice. 

  
“I am the Bad Bidder! Now all of you will do my bidding as I please!” Ladybug jerked her head up to see Léon floating in the air, riding a giant bidding card like a magic carpet, dressed in a gaudy silver and gold auctioneers outfit. In his hand was a gavel, which he pointed at a random man in the crowd. “Seize that thief Adrien Agreste! He will suffer for out-bidding me!”  
  
“Oops,” Adrien muttered under his breath. He started to run, but Ladybug snagged his wrist.  
  
“Oh no, you need to come with me,” Ladybug said, all her nerves forgotten. She swung her yo-yo at the lighting supports and grabbed Adrien at the waist as the Bad Bidder’s minions started to ascend onto the stage. She swung them out of sight backstage, and then burst into a run, Adrien’s wrist clasp in her grip.  
  
“I hope this doesn’t count as our date,” Adrien said, panting.  
  
Ladybug flashed him a grin, “Rain check?”  
  
“Deal.”  
  
——  
  
“Ugh, Tikki, I can’t believe it.” Marinette groaned into her pillow, face down on her bed after returning Léon back to normal and purifying the akuma. She’d taken Adrien to closest place she could find, which ended up being a classroom at their school. He had looked at her, perplexed, when she directed them straight to their science class. Before he could get out a ‘Do you go here?’ she slammed the door in his face and told him to stay put.  
  
Once Chat Noir arrived, they had gone after Léon and ripped up his bidding card. She went to find Adrien at the school afterward, but he was nowhere to be found.  
  
“I ruined everything, Tikki. He liked me. We were going to go on a date and get married and live happily ever after and I slammed a door in his face!”  
  
“Oh Marinette,” Tikki said sympathetically, fluttering by her ear. “don’t worry. You agreed to go on a date later anyways, didn’t you?”  
  
Marinette rolled over, grumbling. “Yeah, but what if he doesn’t want to go now?” She stared up at the picture of Adrien above her bed, reaching out and tracing the lines of his image with her fingertips.  
  
“You won’t know until you ask, Marinette.” Tikki butted her little head against Marinette’s. “You have to try.”  
  
“Marinette!” Her mother called from downstairs, “Someone is here to see you.” Before Marinette could worry about who it could be, Alya burst up her stairs.  
  
“Mari! You won’t believe what happened today,” Alya said, cheeks reddened with excitement, and collapsed in Marinette’s chair. Tikki whizzed out of sight.  
  
“What is it now?” Marinette asked, sitting up.  
  
“You know that charity ball that I told you about?” Alya said, and Marinette nodded with a secretive smile. “Adrien Agreste, you know, the guy you’re totally nutso for, bid on Ladybug and won! They were supposed to go on a date together but then this guy got akumatized and everything went totally crazy.”  
  
“Really?” Marinette replied, leaning in with her hands on her knees. She tried to figure out a realistic I’m-not-Ladybug reaction to the news. “Adrien likes Ladybug?”  
  
“Oh yeah, girl, I hate to say it but I think you have some competition,” Alya said, scrolling through her phone for a picture. She turned the phone over to Marinette, pointing at a profile-angle picture of Adrien walking toward Ladybug, looking…  
  
Totally lovestruck. Marinette’s heart beat a little faster at the thought, and knew that she would have to go make it up to Adrien for bailing on him. As Ladybug, of course.  
  
“It’s kinda cute,” Marinette said cautiously, and Alya’s eyebrows rose.  
  
“Woah, woah, what happened here? Why is there no flailing?”  
  
“I mean, it’s not like Adrien’s actually going to _date_ Ladybug,” Marinette argued. “That’s ridiculous. She has her whole secret identity and saving the city with Chat Noir every week going on, I don’t think she has time for boys.”  
  
Alya tapped her fingers against Marinette’s desk. “Hmm. I wonder what Chat Noir thinks of all this. He thinks Ladybug is the cat’s meow.”  
  
“Ugh, not you too,” Marinette groaned. She tried to think if Chat had said anything to her about it. He did mention that her date cost more than his had, but hadn’t referenced Adrien directly. Huh.  
  
“What? I think Chat Noir’s jokes to Ladybug are _spot_ on. Get it?”  
  
“Ladybug has spots, yeah, yeah,” Marinette said, tightening her pigtails while she rolled her eyes. Alya kept talking, detailing the fight like a professional commentator, hand gestures and all, and Marinette zoned her out to begin plotting. By the time Alya finished reveling in Ladybug’s victory, Marinette had a game plan.


	2. Catnip Crush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this quicker than I expected. This fandom has me in a (loving) choke hold.

Adrien’s hand kept twitching toward his currently nonexistent baton, wanting to call Ladybug here and talk to her about their date. How was he supposed to find a time to talk about it out of the costume? Ladybug would never believe Chat Noir would actually help a competitor for his affections get a date with his Bugaboo.  
  
Even if that person was himself.  
  
A scrapping sound jerked Adrien out of his thoughts and onto his feet, Chat Noir’s instincts putting him on edge. He raced to the large bank of windows just as a flash of red whipped away into the distance. He watched as Ladybug swung from light pole to rooftop with smooth, practiced easy, and stared in surprise.  
  
“I hope there is cheese in that package,” Plagg said, staring intently at the window sill at Adrien’s side.  
  
“Huh?” Adrien asked, pulling his gaze away from Ladybug to discover that she’d left something for him. He wondered if she was too nervous to give it to him in person, but then scoffed at the thought. His Lady, scared off by him?  
  
Carefully opening the window and extracting it from its precarious position, Adrien held the lightweight package in his hands and smiled at the scrawled Adrien on green packaging. He drew his thumb over his name until Plagg made a frustrated noise and tried to drag the package out of Adrien’s hands.  
  
“Hey,” Adrien protested, pulling it back against his chest. “I’ll open it, calm down. How would she know to pack cheese?”  
  
“Cheese a surefire strategy to win anyone’s heart.”  
  
“You mean yours,” Adrien scoffed, then dropped onto his bed and unwrapped the box. The smell of fresh pastries wafted out as he cut the box open with his keys. He pulled out two chocolate-drizzled croissants tied up in a clear bag with cut strawberries. A note feel out on his lap. With great effort, he put aside the croissants in favor of the note.  
  
 _Adrien —_  
 _Sorry our conversation was cut short this morning. As promised, I still owe you that date. How about Friday night, at 6? I can meet you on the steps of the Trocadero. Put this fabric out your window if your answer is yes._  
 _Ladybug_  
 _P.S. Hope you like chocolate._  
  
Plagg dragged something out from inside the box and dropped it in Adrien’s lap. A polka-dotted square of red fabric. Good quality too, from the feel of it under Adrien’s fingers. “No cheese. I say dump her.”  
  
“I’m going to _marry_ her if I can.” Adrien replied, standing up to tie the square around the window latch. It billowed out in the breeze. Staring down at the croissants on his bed remorsefully, he figured maybe a bite wouldn’t be too bad. He could eat the strawberries at least.  
  
Adrien ate an entire croissant, his guilt overshadowed by the giddy smile that he couldn’t seem to wipe from his face. Five days until his date with Ladybug.  
  
——  
  
“Okay, would you stop it with the weird smiling thing?” Nino groaned before class the next day. “You’re starting to freak me out, bro.”  
  
“Sorry Nino,” Adrien said, blushing and making an effort to stop smiling. “I’m just in a good mood.”  
  
“Good mood, huh?” Alya called over his shoulder, and he turned to see her knowing look. “I would be too if I landed a date with Ladybug.” Marinette, sitting at her side, was suddenly very interested in her notes.  
  
“What? No way, dude!” Nino punched Adrien in his shoulder, which stung a bit. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”  
  
“I can’t believe you didn’t know,” Alya retorted, “Adrien bid on Ladybug at this charity auction like the total rich dweeb he is, and won out against this Léon guy. Who then tried to destroy half of Paris because of his ‘undying love for Ladybug!’ Give me a break: I’ve been her biggest fan since day one.”  
  
Trying to drive the conversation away from his love life, Adrien remembered the extra croissant in his backpack. “Hey, Marinette?”  
  
Marinette’s head jerked up, looking like a deer caught in headlights. Every time Adrien thought they were cool with each other, she went and did something like that and he started going over his head what he could have done to cause it. Maybe she was weirded out by the whole Ladybug thing.  
  
“I, uh, have this extra croissant from” –not Ladybug, don’t say that, she probably won’t believe you and think you’re even weirder– “breakfast this morning. Do you want it?”  
  
“Breakfast?” Marinette parroted, looking confused.  
  
“Yeah Adrien, since when do you eat that kind of sinful deliciousness for breakfast?” Nino cut in, and Adrien internally groaned. So much for that.  
  
“I-might-have-gotten-it-from-Ladybug-last-night,” Adrien said in a jumble, hoping that they couldn’t understand him. He slid the croissant onto Marinette’s desk before she could refuse him and he could become even more embarrassed.  
  
“Oh-ho, since when does Ladybug make house calls?” Nino laughed. “That’s rather forward of Paris’ favorite superhero.”  
  
“Hey!” Adrien said, offended. “What about Chat Noir?” Sure, he knew that Ladybug was the best superhero around, but when was he gonna get some appreciation around here?  
  
“Oh,” Marinette giggled, “Chat’s alright, I guess. I didn’t know you were such a big fan?” That was, like, two full sentences without stuttering or looking away from him. Potential crisis adverted.  
  
“I mean, I love Ladybug more, but–“ And they had stopped listening to him, the trio choosing to laugh at him instead.  
  
“Getting back on the subject at hand,” Alya said, “what was Ladybug doing at your house last night with chocolate covered croissants, hmm?”  
  
That did sound bad. “She just gave me a note! I didn't even get to talk to her.” At Alya’s prodding, he explained that he and Ladybug had rescheduled for Friday night. Alya kept shooting Marinette worried looks, but Marinette seemed content to nibble on her croissant, breaking off a piece for Alya and Nino as well.  
  
They were interrupted as class began, but Marinette leaned forward and tapped Adrien on the shoulder. “Thanks for the croissant, Adrien.”  
  
Adrien grinned back, “You’re welcome, Marinette.” For some reason, Alya was shaking her head at them, but Adrien shrugged his shoulders and turned back to the front.  
  
——  
  
“Ladybug! My heart, my source of—”  
  
“Good afternoon to you too, Chat Noir,” Ladybug replied from her place on the floor of their usual perch atop the Eiffel Tower. Chat leaned against the rail and gazed out at Paris, the city and the Seine gleaming under the evening sun. Technically, they had no standing plans to meet with each other outside fighting the akuma. Chat had once asked if they should try to fight other types of crime, but Ladybug had given him a flat look and a “I do like to relax every once in a while, furball.” But they both had an undeniable attraction to the freedom their alter egos offered them, and nothing really punctuated that like sitting atop the Eiffel and looking down on the city whenever they wanted. Most of the time when he went to the Eiffel, he spent the time alone, but they crossed paths up here not an infrequent number of times.   
  
Ladybug shaded her eyes to look up at him, studying him with a curious gaze. “Don’t look so puurplexed Ladybug,” Chat said, unable to help himself.  
  
“You look pleased with yourself,” Ladybug remarked, still watching him. The weight of her gaze gave him a comfortable feeling of warmth. She looked back to her lap, where it looked like she was sketching something. It made him think of Marinette, who always seemed to be creating new designs. Once he learned that she designed her own clothing, he had started to tell her whenever he liked one of her outfits. The self-consciously pleased look on her face was kind of cute. Not as cute as his Lady, of course, but cute in a softer kind of way.  
  
“—your date,” Ladybug was saying, and Chat jerked back to attention.  
  
“What?” Could she know?  
  
Ladybug continued sketching, her shoulder’s uncharacteristically tense. “Did you have a good time on your date?”  
  
“My date? What are you… oh, my date with Camille?” Chat remembered, forgetting all about his in-costume plans. “I haven’t had met her yet, we’re meeting on Wednesday.” Ladybug hummed in response, still not looking up. Chat started to formulate a delicate way to ask what was wrong when he realized it.  
  
“What’s this?” Chat said giddily, sinking down to a crouch at her side. “Is my Lady jealous? Worried that my affections might stray from her loveliness?”  
  
“Of course not, silly kitty,” Ladybug replied, but he could tell she was lying. He tried to catch her eye, but she tucked her head down and stared intently at her paper.  
  
“It’s okay, Bugaboo. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” Chat told her, nudging her shoulder and causing her to look up. She was frowning at him in the way that meant she was trying to hide her real feelings. “I promise not to be swayed from your side by another. Cat’s honor.” He reached out his pinkie finger for her to shake.  
  
“I’m not shaking on that.”  
  
“Whatever you say, my Lady.” He returned to surveying the skyline, his shoulder still pressed against hers. He was pretty sure that stupid grin of his was back.


	3. Marigold Magic

If caught, Ladybug would firmly deny to stalking Chat Noir. Because that would be ridiculous. She was… gathering ideas for her date with Adrien. Yep, that was it. No ulterior motives here.  
  
She laid on her stomach on the roof top of the high class restaurant where Chat and Camille Durand were having dinner in the sheltered outdoor section behind the restaurant and away from the busy street. The sight of them almost made Ladybug laugh. Camille sat prim in a very expensive, low-cut black dress, make up professionally done, manicured nails glinting in the candlelight. In contrast Chat, who at the very least sat with his back straight and a napkin in his lap, looked very out of place in his catsuit. At least the suit was black, but he could have gotten out of bed and run out the door five minutes beforehand for all anyone knew.  
  
Oh, the wonders of kwami magic.  
  
The pair had made introductions already, though they had gotten stalled when all Chat could say was his name, with the whole superhero business being a known quantity and his true identity completely off the table. They had been awkwardly sipping wine for a few minutes now, the poor girl sometimes opening her mouth with a question that she realized he couldn’t answer, then snapping it shut again. Chat neither knew about nor cared about politics, so that topic had been shut down pretty quickly.  
  
If this was how well Chat, who admittedly was rather charming, did on his date, it spelled doom for Ladybug’s own with Adrien. She almost wanted to manufacture an emergency so Chat could have an excuse to get out of there. This was painful.  
  
Chat coughed and Camille looked at him encouragingly. He caught her eye and seemed to frantically realize that he needed to say something. “Uh, um… are you wearing Agreste?” Ladybug narrowed her eyes at the dress, noting that the detailing and overall design did seem familiar.  
  
Camille’s face burst into a smile, “How did you know?”  
  
“Oh, I, I’m actually a bit of a fan,” Chat said, and Ladybug’s eyebrows rose. Since when?  
  
“Really? Me too!” Camille said, excited to have landed on a topic. “This dress was a bit of a splurge, to be honest, but I just couldn’t resist buying it. I never would have pegged you for a fashion first kind of guy.”  
  
Chat stared down at himself, ringing his own bell with a sardonic smile on my lips. “Not your style?”  
  
“Oh no, I didn’t mean that,” Camille backtracked. “The suit looks great. It really brings out your eyes.”  
  
“Ugh,” Ladybug muttered, and Chat’s head went up, searching for the sound. Ladybug flattened herself to the rooftop and cursed his super-hearing. Then she heard what had really drawn his attention: screams in the distance. Preparing to make a subtle escape, Ladybug chanced a glance down at Chat to see him jump to his feet. The waiter came out as he did, food in hand.  
  
Chat smiled apologetically to Camille, then turned to the waiter. “Could I perhaps get that to go?”  
  
——  
  
“Woah, that was a close one. I think my tail got singed.” Chat spun in circles on the rooftop, trying to catch sight of his leather tail. The akumatized victim of the week, a baker who had a run in with a rude customer, was sitting dazed on the edge of the roof. Ladybug rolled her eyes and snagged Chat by the tail, reeling him in.  
  
“Your tail is fine,” Ladybug said, and Chat grinned mischievously at the bare centimeters between them. She let go of his tail with a playful huff, turning to leave.  
  
“Enjoy my date?”  
  
Ladybug froze, and then decided to ignore him in favor of pulling out her yo-yo. The solid weight of Chat’s arm settled on her shoulder and she looked up at him, defiant.  
  
“What are you talking about?”  
  
“I’m a superhero, remember?” Chat breathed in her ear, and she shivered. “I always know when evil super villains are lurking about. So, like I said, did you enjoy it? Personally, I thought it was a _cat_ astrophe.”  
  
“Seemed like that cat was napping on the job,” Ladybug replied grudgingly.  
  
“Maybe that mouse just wasn’t the one this cat wanted to catch,” Chat winked, and then made a running leap off the building. Ladybug’s earrings beeped in warning, and she threw her yo-yo at the nearest building in the opposite direction.  
  
——  
  
Only when Marinette slid into her seat the next morning did she remember that Alya was out of class today for a doctor’s appointment. She slumped in her seat, staring at the back of Adrien’s head. Watching Chat Noir (deliberately?) failed date the night before had proved to make her even more nervous about her date with Adrien the next day. She wanted to swing over to his place and call the whole thing off, oops, superhero sick, but Alya’s voice in the back of her head told her to stop being a wimp.  
  
As class began, she noticed that Nino was also missing. Marinette leaned forward, tapping Adrien’s shoulder. Looking up from his paper, Adrien turned and Marinette nodded toward the empty chair at his side. Adrien winced and whispered, “His mom broke her arm in a bad fall this morning. He went to the hospital with her.”  
  
“Oh no,” Marinette whispered back, “We should get flowers for her.”  
  
“Marinette, Adrien. Would you mind?” their teacher cut in, and they both ducked their heads shamefully. But once their teacher turned away from them and returned to the lecture, Adrien glanced back and gave Marinette a thumbs up.  
  
So when classes ended for the day Adrien convinced his driver to detour to a flower shop with Marinette in tow after. While Marinette perused the store, Adrien seemed stuck to his phone, moving aimlessly from section to section. With Adrien useless, Marinette decided for them what to put in the small bouquet for Nino’s mom. Once finished, she went to stand in the same aisle as Adrien. He ran straight into her, jumping back in surprise. At least she got him to look up from his phone.  
  
“Have something more important to do?” Marinette asked, arms crossed somewhat awkwardly with the bouquet clasp in her hand.  
  
Turning bright red was not the reaction Marinette expected. “Oh– sorry Marinette, I just, um, need to get some flowers for, uh, a friend.” Marinette nearly pointed out that Adrien didn’t have any friends that Marinette didn’t know. He’d admitted as much before, but it seemed a bit of a low blow.  
  
Before Adrien had time to react, Marinette swiped Adrien’s phone from his hand. He lunged for it, but she twisted around and pushed the bouquet into his face. Making a displeased sound, Adrien pushed the flowers away and grabbed Marinette’s shoulder. Using it as leverage, Adrien successfully snatched back the phone, but not before Marinette had seen what he was searching. She tried to keep a straight face, but one look at Adrien’s embarrassed grimace and she crumpled, leaning forward as she burst out laughing.  
  
“What flowers do ladybugs like, huh?” Marinette said between giggles. “Gonna charm Ladybug with your floral selection?”  
  
“It’s stupid, I know.” Adrien said, rubbing at his neck and avoiding her eyes.  
  
Getting her laughter under control, she laid a tentative hand on Adrien’s shoulder. He flinched, but looked her in the eye. Marinette schooled her face into a serious expression, not wanting him to interpret her words the wrong way. “No, Adrien, I think it’s sweet. What do you think you’ll get her?”  
  
“I was thinking about the marigolds,” Adrien muttered, shuffling his feet in the loose dirt on the floor.  
  
“Well then, we’ve got some more flowers to buy, don’t we?” Marinette said, and nodded her head toward the end of the aisle. Eyeing her warily, Adrien followed. Marinette had to stifle another giggle when Adrien picked out red marigolds, of course, with a sprinkle of gold on the edges and in the center, watching as he crouched down to pick out the best of the lot (and, okay, maybe checking out his ass). She thought she managed to contain her amusement, but Adrien eyed her suspiciously when he turned around.  
  
“Nino and Alya hear nothing about this,” Adrien warned, but as cute and tongue-tied Adrien could make her, he was hardly scary. She mimed sealing her lips and throwing out the key all the same, to erase the anxious expression from his face. Daring to grab his wrist, she leaned forward and smelled the flowers.  
  
And oh, she may not have been in the Ladybug suit, but they smelled _amazing_.


	4. Water Rides

Chat couldn’t suppress the yowl that emitted from his mouth as he was flung drenching wet from the Seine onto the hard concrete riverwalk path. Chat loathed water. It put his entire body on edge and water got into his ears, messing up his hearing. He stood and shook vigorously, thankful the bodysuit kept the water from seeping through for the most part.  
  
He searched for Ladybug as his hearing sharpened again, and found that she had been tossed the opposite bank. Octo-Man had gotten smart, and moved away from the bridge that Chat and Ladybug had used to vault off of. This guy was an octopus expert or something, and apparently his favorite octopus had been accidentally killed, and now he was on a rampage to get the person who did it. Ladybug gave him the low-down so fast he was a bit fuzzy on the details. He knew where the akuma was: a pen grasp in one of his hands. The problem was figuring out which one, seeing as he now had eight limbs.  
  
Chat didn’t know how he could use his Cataclysm without seriously hurting the akumatized victim, but before Chat submitted himself to another plunge into the river, Ladybug threw her yo-yo to the sky and yelled out her lucky charm. He watched as a giant, multicolored parachute fell on top of her, covering her completely. Chat snickered. God, she was wonderful even as she battled to escape a child’s parachute. Her irritated face popped out from under it and it reminded him of all the times she scoffed at him when he flirted with her.  
  
Oh no. Their date. At least he knew he couldn’t be standing her up.  
  
Chat’s baton beeped, the river too large for them to yell across. He opened it and grinned, “Hello my Lady. Looks like you’re having fun over there. Want me to join you?”  
  
Ladybug didn’t laugh, expression serious. “Let’s get this wrapped up - literally. We’re going to bring Octo-Man down by wrapping him up in this parachute. I’ll go in and get one side, I need you grab the other.”  
  
“Aye, aye, my Lady,” Chat saluted and cut the call. He stood braced on the riverbank, baton in hand, waiting for her move. The moment Ladybug swung off a lamppost, parachute fluttering in her wake, Chat shot up on his baton. Octo-Man threw up his tentacles - _ew_ \- toward them, but they managed to dodge him. Ladybug whipped the parachute up over her head and Chat reached out to grab the other end, and together they dragged it down around Octo-Man and splashed down hard on the water, pulling with all their strength inward. Octo-Man flailed, but the parachute unsettled him just enough for Ladybug to snag the pen from one of his tentacles and snap it in half.  
  
Miserably wet as he was, Chat watched her purify the butterfly and set the world right with the same adoration as always. Her power of creation always put him in awe. “Best game of cat and mouse I’ve ever played,” Chat said, and Ladybug cast him quick smile.  
  
Octo-Man splashed around in the water in surprise. Chat grabbed his arm to steady him, then swam him to the riverbank. Ladybug hooked her yo-yo and swung above the water, which Chat watched with faint jealousy.  
  
He reached the edge soon after Ladybug, extending his fist out for their characteristic fist bump. She then turned her hand over to help him out, which he took gratefully. Once on his feet, Chat looked over to see Ladybug staring down at her suit miserably. Her pigtails drooped and dripped. “I can’t go out like this.”  
  
Chat had the same thought, his hair oddly slicked back and his ears all clogged up again. Plus, the Seine was gross. He needed a real shower at home before he would consider going out as Adrien to meet his Lady.  
  
“Aww, Bugaboo. Guess you’ll have to _wave_ that date off and get dry,” Chat said, conflicted between his own disappointment over the failed date and his need to keep up appearances so she wouldn’t suspect anything. It gave him a headache to think about.  
  
“Ugh, he’s probably sitting there, just down the river, waiting for me,” Ladybug moaned, uncharacteristically woeful. “I have to go find him.”  
  
She went for her yo-yo, but Chat stood in her way. “Woah there, partner. You’re running out of time fast and as much as I’d love to see your beautiful face, I don’t think you want that. Let me go. I didn’t use my cataclysm, so I have all the time in the world.”  
  
Ladybug stared at him skeptically. “You’ll tell him the truth. Not that I stood him up on purpose?”  
  
“Uh, Ladybug, he probably saw you on the news. It’s not like I could lie. Unless you manufactured this whole attack to spend time with me?” Chat grinned cheekily, “You know you don’t have to go through all that effort. I’m always here for you.”  
  
The last part came out more seriously than Chat had intended, and he blanched. Ladybug smiled softly and put her hand on his arm. “Thanks, Chat. You’re a good kitty.”  
  
Her earrings beeped as she came dangerously low on time. Throwing her yo-yo to a nearby building, she held his eyes until she zipped up, away into the night.  
  
——  
  
The rest of the weekend consisted of homework and a low-key photo shoot with Lars, a Dutch photographer who Adrien considered his favorite because Lars always ended their shoots by slipping Adrien chocolate when Nathalie couldn’t see. Lars had been working with Adrien since he stood a bit above the man’s knee, so while Adrien had technically outgrown the bribing, Adrien couldn’t deny him. Plus, chocolate.  
  
Homework finished by Sunday night, Adrien transformed into Chat and took to the rooftops. The fall night whistled with wind. A strong gust caused Chat to nearly slip a landing because his hair blew into his face and his baton blew back where it came from. Scrambling onto a roof, he chuckled to himself and leaned back against an air conditioning unit.  
  
God, he loved being a superhero.  
  
And with those superhuman parkour jumps came super senses. And whatever he smelled, it was positively delicious. Following his nose, Chat sprung from roof to roof until he landed onto of a bakery. It looked vaguely familiar, like he’d seen it from the street view, but before he could lean over the edge and read the name, a startled “Chat!” made him whip around, baton in hand.  
  
Oh. This was Marinette’s parents’ bakery. “Marinette! I didn’t image seeing you here.” 

“This is my house,” she pointed out.  
  
“Uh, right! Well, see, I smelled something terribly delicious and my nose led me here. I didn’t know this was your bakery.”  
  
“Marinette?” A woman’s voice called. Chat froze. Should he leave?  
  
Marinette seemed to recognize this. She squinted her eyes and pointed at him in a way that made him think Ladybug, “Stay here.” She disappeared inside the house before he could protest that no one told him to stay, he wasn’t a _dog_.  
  
He concentrated on bouncing from one foot to the other, so not to overhear Marinette’s conversation with, presumably, her mother. That way, when Marinette returned and shooed him inside, he was surprised to discover that he had been invited to dinner.  
  
“Uh,” Chat said intelligently. Marinette’s mother – Sabine, she said – looked him up and down, clicking her tongue in distaste.  
  
“Superheroes shouldn’t be so skinny. You need to eat.” Sabine said. “Unless there is an akuma attack happening?”  
  
“No,” Chat and Marinette said simultaneously. Chat quirked his eyebrow at her.  
  
“Oh, uh, when your best friend runs the Ladyblog, you know these things,” Marinette said.  
  
“Perfect,” Sabine said, then disappeared down the stairs, leaving Marinette and Chat alone. Marinette shuffled her bare feet against the floor. It soothed him a bit to see how discomfited she appeared to be with the situation.  
  
“You can escape down the balcony if you’d rather not listen to my parents go on about how much they love Chat Noir and Ladybug,” Marinette suggested, eyes darting around the room. He followed her eyes and grinned when he saw pictures of himself in among other fashion magazines. Then Chat remembered that it was because Marinette adored his father’s work, and deflated a bit. “I can tell them there really was an akuma attack or something.”  
  
Of course Chat wouldn’t refuse; he was always hungry. Plus, that would be rude. “No, no, my lady, I would happily dine with your family. You’ve been such great help in the past for Ladybug and I.”  
  
A strange smirk flittered across her lips, like she knew something he didn’t, but it disappeared a second later. “Ha, right. Gotta protect me from my adoring fanboys.”  
  
“I’m sure you have plenty,” Chat replied, leaning back against the wall. Aside from the magazine clippings and an excess of pink, Chat noticed that, shoved off in the corner of her countertop, she was working on some new outfit. It looked… fuzzy.  
  
Marinette laughed. “Oh, please.”  
  
Chat frowned. If he hadn’t set his affections upon his beautiful and bossy Ladybug, he might have paid more attention to Marinette, who was funny and intelligent in her own, quieter way. “Any guy would be lucky to be with you, Marinette.”  
  
“Lucky, huh?” Marinette said, skeptical, then sighed. “I only have eyes for one boy.” Chat ached with empathy.   
  
“Yeah…” Chat said, wondering if he would ever get that date with Ladybug.  
  
“Marinette! Come down here with you friend,” Sabine called, and Chat turned his attention back to his classmate. She seemed to be studying him.  
  
Catching his eye, Marinette smiled. “Come on, I promise I’ll keep them from asking any probing questions.”  
  
“Why, you're my hero,” Chat replied, and Marinette laughed as she led him down the stairs. He decided Adrien needed to learn how to make her laugh like that, too.


	5. Dinner, Not a Date

Dinner is only as odd as to be expected when one of the dinner guests is dressed up as cat. Marinette prevented her mom from fawning over Chat Noir too much, but Chat seemed so thrilled that someone thought he was cool that she let some of it slide. They gave him piles of leftovers afterward, Sabine saying with a wink that he knew where he could come back for more. Chat kept the puns at a respectable level, at least until Sabine disappears back downstairs to help her husband with the bakery.  
  
“Back to fighting crime?” Marinette snarked, leaning against the couch. She wondered if she should let him out of her room or make him go downstairs and be stared at by passersby. It might help business if everyone knew Chat Noir frequented their bakery. Maybe Marinette should add that to their logo. _Superhero friendly!_  
  
No, scratch that, that was a recipe for attracting an akuma attack.  
  
“This kitty is going right to sleep. Your parents could destroy a superhero through their mad baking skills. You better watch that.”  
  
“Maybe I’ll have to keep mangy cats out of my yard, then.”  
  
"You don’t have a yard,” Chat unhelpfully pointed out, which Marinette didn’t bother to counter. She did have something she wanted to say before he left, but even after mulling it over throughout dinner, she had no idea how to ask without painting a large I’M LADYBUG sign over her head. Chat could be kind of oblivious, but asking about her failed date with Adrien was too much.  
  
“Well, I should go,” Chat sighed, eyeing the window. “Thanks for your hospitality, Marinette. I know we don’t really know one another…”  
  
“Hey, you help Ladybug save Paris every week, least I could do.” She got the feeling that he wasn’t too eager to go home. Ladybug had never asked about his home life, for obvious reasons, but she got the impression from some comments he’d made that his relationship with his family was strained. “Come on, kitty, I’m not having you jump out my living room window. I’ll take you up to the balcony.”  
  
Chat followed her up the stairs as Marinette tried to formulate a question. Just as Chat was about to leave, Marinette blurted out, “Do you know Adrien Agreste?”  
  
Chat’s head whipped around, “What?”  
  
“Uh,” Marinette said, trying to think quickly, “Well, my friend is the Ladyblogger - Alya, you know her? - and she said that Ladybug and this guy in my class Adrien are going on a date and, um, what do think of that?”  
  
_Smooth, Marinette._  
  
Chat fidgeted and Marinette cursed herself internally. She had no idea whether Chat meant half the things he said to Ladybug, but talking about Ladybug going on a date with someone else was definitely rude.  
  
He eventually shrugged, “I don’t know him.” Then, like a great idea had just come to him, he smirked. “It’s not like he’s any competition to me. Models? Please. I’m a superhero. Ladybug’s just doing it for charity.” The last sentence came out oddly, slightly strangled. Like… disappointment? That made no sense.  
  
But Marinette couldn't let his dismissiveness lie. “He’s not just a model. Adrien’s really nice, he’s never mean to anyone in class, not even Chloe, ugh. And he doesn’t flirt with everyone he meets, unlike some people.”  
  
Chat didn’t go for the bait, instead blinking down at her. “You really think that?”  
  
“Of course I do! Do you think I’m that vain to think that just because he’s a model he isn’t an interesting person?”  
  
“I mean, you do have pictures of him on your walls.” Chat said, gaze drawn to the glossy magazine spreads on her wall. She moved in front of them, not that it helped with the height difference.  
  
“So what!” Marinette blanched, then muttered, “I like fashion.”  
  
Chat laughed, “Right.” Winking, he walked up the stairs to her bed and propped open the door. “See you around, Marinette.”  
  
——  
  
She saw him the next day, when a pissed off bank teller became akumatized. When they finally brought her down, Ladybug felt kind of bad for her. Rude customers were the worst.  
  
“I wonder if she’ll _tell_ that tale tomorrow at work,” Chat mused next to Ladybug on their rooftop perch. Ladybug hit him on the shoulder. Both of them were beeping, their de-transformation eminent, but Ladybug stayed for a few moments longer, breeze blowing in her face. She closed her eyes and listened to the wind.  
  
“Hey,” she said, remembering a question she had for him. It had seemed so urgent when she talked to Chat as Marinette, but running down from the high of chasing the akuma made her more at ease. “What did Adrien say on Friday?”  
  
Chat laughed softly, a pleased rumble of a sound. “He asked about this Friday, same time, same place. He’s eager, that kid.”  
  
Ladybug peeked an eye open, “You nervous he’ll steal me away?”   
  
Chat grinned, “I’m in for the long game, my Lady. He ain’t got nothing on me.”  
  
Normally, she dismissed his flirting. But when he met and held her gaze, she knew he meant what he said. She didn’t know what to do with that realization, a tightness in her gut making her look away. Chat was her partner. She trusted him without fail, believed he would never do anything to hurt her.  
  
Now she feared she was about to do something that would hurt him.


	6. Truth Seeker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the wonderful comments! I love reading them and they help me write faster. Enjoy!

“Any questions? No? Find a partner. You need to complete all ten labs before the period is over, you hear?” Mrs. Mendeleiev said. Adrien turned to Nino as she spoke, who for some reason looked guilty.  
  
“Sorry man, but Alya and I are doing this together. She’s good at explaining this physics nonsense to me.” Nino said, then stood with notebook in hand. “I’m sure you could partner with Marinette.”  
  
Adrien turned around to Marinette, who gave him a lopsided shrug that he took for a yes. He still didn’t know what to do with the knowledge that she legitimately liked him; he’d always thought she thought he was a bit odd and kept her interactions around him limited for that reason. But after she’d defended him to Chat Noir, he thought maybe she was just shy. He’d called her ‘friend’ once. Maybe they could actually become that, if only he could work her out of her shell.  
  
“What lab do you want to start with?” Adrien asked, picking up his own notebook. Marinette looked around the room, and Adrien didn’t miss her zeroing in on Chloe.  
  
“Over here,” she said, motioning to the part of the room directly opposite from Chloe. Adrien grinned, but didn’t mention it. They started working in silence, but Adrien could tell that Marinette wanted to say something.  
  
“What is it?” Adrien asked, and Marinette’s eyes darted up to meet his before she looked away, cheeks flushing. Right, she was shy. Maybe not such a direct question.  
  
“I mean,” Adrien prodded, “you look like you had something to say. Am I doing it wrong and you’re too nice to mention it?” He made sure to sound humored, so she knew he meant the question lightly.  
  
Marinette laughed into her hand, head still ducked down. “No, Adrien, you-you’re really good at physics.” She checked her answer one last time, then they moved onto the next station.  
  
“Want to know a secret?” Adrien asked, voice low. Marinette did meet his gaze then, curious. Her big blue eyes made her look so innocent and interested, it made him want to trust her. Or maybe it was that they were the same color as Ladybug’s.  
  
“What?”  
  
“It’s probably hard to tell with the whole model thing,” Adrien chuckled, running his hand through his hair self-consciously, “but I really like science. Though chemistry is more my thing than physics.”  
  
Marinette didn’t laugh like he expected. Instead, she quirked her head to the side, “Would you go to university for it?”  
  
Now it was Adrien’s turn to stare with big eyes, “Uh, um, I don’t know. I mean, I’ve been a model my whole life.”  
  
“Can’t you do both?” Marinette asked.  
  
“Uh, maybe. I haven’t actually talked to my father—“  
  
Before he could finish his sentence, a loud, feminine voice reverberated around the building. “I am Truth Seeker! No one can lie to me!”  
  
“Uh-oh,” Marinette muttered, but Adrien barely registered it before he ran to his bag, threw it over his shoulder, and ran out the door with a quick shout of “Bathroom!” to anyone who noticed.  
  
He soon learned that Truth Seeker’s real name was Amelie, and that she’d just discovered her boyfriend had cheated on her. Because she’d screamed it in his face (well, the name he got from the panicked teenager running away from his girlfriend). Not only could she apparently make everyone tell the truth, but her voice also had a crippling quality to it.  
  
Ladybug arrived shortly after Truth Seeker’s violent scream, to find Chat curled up on the ground with his hands over his ears. She extended a hand toward him, which after a quick check to see that Truth Seeker had disappeared, he grabbed and got to his feet. Ladybug took off as soon as he was up, swinging down to the first floor instead of taking the stairs. Chat raced after her.  
  
“She could make us reveal our identities,” Chat cautioned when he came even with her on the pavement outside the school. Truth Seeker had left a path for them in shattered car windows and cowering pedestrians.  
  
Ladybug threw her yo-yo to the nearest lamppost, nodding to him, “We need to get rid of her quickly, before Hawkmoth convinces her start in on us instead of her boyfriend.”  
  
Then she flung herself into the air, Chat following close behind.  
  
——  
  
When they reached the center of Truth Seeker’s hurricane of frightened civilians and broken windows, they found her kneeling on a rooftop, her boyfriend’s arm held in a vice-like grip while she used her other hand to hold a phone in front of his face. “Tell me all your secrets,” Truth Seeker hissed, “And I’ll humiliate you like you humiliated me.”  
  
“Looks like someone has anger issues,” Chat called, drawing her attention away from her victim, who appeared dazed but uninjured. “Truth to be told, I think you should _lie_ down.”  
  
Ladybug raised her eyebrow at him, “That was a stretch.”  
  
“My Lady, you always tell me how it is,” Chat replied, flicking his baton into a lazy spin. While he spoke, he took in Truth Seeker’s outfit. She wore a stylized dark blue bodice with silver beading, which turned into a flowing lighter blue skirt that matched the color of the dress’s sleeves. Around her neck was a necklace with two hearts framing a name Chat couldn’t read. “The necklace,” Chat said, lowering his voice. Ladybug hummed in agreement.  
  
“I’ll get him out of here, you distract her.” Ladybug ordered, and Chat lunged forward.   
  
In Truth Seeker’s right hand she held a wand-like rod, which emitted beams of blue light that Chat danced around and deflected with his staff. He kept her eyes on him as Ladybug tugged the docile boyfriend to his feet. When she finally looked over and noticed, Chat swung out with his staff and knocked the rod from her hand. He grinned in triumph for only a few seconds before she screamed.  
  
Oh. That. Chat fell to his knees, the pain of her scream overwhelming. He held his hands to his ears, eyes squeezed shut. He knew he was vulnerable, hunched down on the ground, but he couldn’t think of a coherent plan above the vibrations of her scream battering against his skull. He felt like he was about to rattle apart.  
  
When he finally opened his eyes, he was blinded by a bright, blue light.


	7. Confession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to wait on this buuuut decided to give it to y'all early.

“Chat!” Ladybug shouted. She had dropped Truth Seeker’s boyfriend down on street level and gotten distracted by Alya, who wanted to know Truth Seeker’s powers. By the time she disentangled from that and returned to the roof, she saw Chat down on his knees. She knew immediately something was wrong, staff dropped beside him and Truth Seeker’s darkly glowing rod pointed at his face. When the blue light disappeared, Chat stared dumbly at Truth Seeker, his face slack without emotion.  
  
Ladybug slung her yo-yo out and caught the rod. Surprised, Truth Seeker let the rod slip through her fingertips and into Ladybug’s outstretched hand. Ladybug snapped the rod in half against her knee. She knew it wasn't the akuma, but now Truth Seeker couldn’t use that weapon against her.  
  
Truth Seeker laughed at her. “You think that will stop me? I have your partner. He’ll tell me everything.” She crouched over Chat, who still kneeled compliantly, and Ladybug saw red.  
  
“Get away from him.” She flung her yo-yo out again, wrapping it around Truth Seeker’s ankle and dragging her off her feet. But as Truth Seeker came closer, she howled in rage. Ladybug flinched back against it, the sound making it difficult to think straight. She needed - needed…  
  
_Chat_. Chat moved just slightly in response to Ladybug’s attack, his head swiveling toward them as if drawn like a fly to a light. She had to get him out of there before Truth Seeker could demand his identity of him.  
  
Wincing against the pain, she let her yo-yo loose and covered her ears, running past Truth Seeker to Chat. She yanked Chat to his feet, which he allowed without complaint. Ladybug could hear Truth Seeker stumbling to her feet and pulled Chat up into a fireman carry, her feet already off the rooftop when Truth Seeker yelled after them, “I’ll find you Ladybug! You can’t keep your secrets from me.”  
  
_Wanna bet?_ Ladybug thought, then focused on finding a place she could take Chat.  
  
——  
  
“Are you okay?”  
  
“My head kind of hurts but otherwise I’m okay.”  
  
“Are you sure?”  
  
“My Lady,” Chat said, his voice placating. “I can’t lie to you. Literally.”  
  
Ladybug drew back from her mothering and slumped on the concrete floor of the warehouse next to him. Workers milled around other parts of the warehouse, but she’d managed to find a secluded quarter for them to hide out in and strategize. Being away from Truth Seeker seemed to help bring Chat back to himself, but he still remained tight-lipped, as if afraid that he would say something embarrassing.  
  
“Sorry I didn’t get back in time,” Ladybug said. Chat always got the raw end of the deal against the akuma, controlled in some way or the other. Of course only Ladybug had the power to get rid of the akuma, but it didn’t mean she enjoyed using her partner as bait.  
  
“It’s okay, Ladybug,” Chat bumped her shoulder. “We’re partners. You make the plans and I distract the baddies with my awesomeness. We’ll take Truth Seeker down next round.”  
  
“I’m not sure you should be within hearing distance,” Ladybug said, looking him up and down. “Not in this state.”  
  
Chat crossed his arms over his chest, “I’m not letting you fight her alone.”  
  
“Chat-” Ladybug started, but Chat cut her off.  
  
“Her scream affects us both,” Chat said sharply. “And I care too much about you to let you go in alone.” Ladybug didn’t know if that was him or the extra dose of honesty speaking.  
  
“And I care about protecting your identity, kitty,” Ladybug argued. “See, this exactly why we haven’t told each other our identities. It’s too dangerous.”  
  
Chat mumbled something and, instinctual, before she could think to stop herself, she asked, “What did you say?”  
  
“I said I wish you trusted me enough to tell me,” Chat said, sullen with his ears flat against his head. Ladybug cursed herself. That wasn’t meant for her to hear.  
  
“I do trust you, kitty,” Ladybug protested.  
  
“Would you tell Adrien, if you dated him? Would you tell him your identity?” Chat said suddenly, and Ladybug didn’t know what to say.  
  
“I don’t understand. Adrien has nothing to do with this.”  
  
Chat pushed himself off the floor and walked a few feet away, his back to her. “Adrien has everything to do with it. Why don’t you answer _my_ question, Lady?”  
  
“I– I might, I don’t know!” Ladybug said, surging to her feet after him. She wanted to lay her hand on his shoulder, reassure him, but she feared he would reject her attempts. “Chat, please, I don’t want to fight you. We need to focus on the akuma. Why are you doing this?”  
  
Chat froze, whole body stiff, resisting. She’d completed forgotten; he couldn’t lie to her. Before she could act, try to cover her ears or his mouth, he spoke with his teeth grit against the words.  “Because I love you.”  
  
Ladybug couldn’t speak. Her hands flew to her mouth as if to prevent herself from saying anymore, making it worse. She knew it, she’d known, hell, he had practically told her. But she’d always assumed it was the light, teasing kind of crush that would dissipate over time.  
  
Ladybug loved him. She didn’t doubt that for a second, how much Chat mattered to her and what she would be willing to do to keep him safe. That’s why she didn’t want them to reveal their identities to each other. What they had was easy, companionable. She didn’t need to know who he was beneath the mask to trust him to always have her back.  
  
She feared what it meant to change that. Whether he still would look at her the same way if he knew Marinette, the clumsy, shy girl who spent her time fawning after unattainable models.  
  
“Chat…” Ladybug started, but didn’t know how to continue.  
  
Chat moved before she realized it, staff in hand and partially extended. “But you already knew that,” Chat said, the edge gone and replaced with weariness. “I’ll stay away. Call me if you need backup.”  
  
Before Ladybug could reply, he took off in a sprint.


	8. Talks

He ran rooftops the entire way home. When he de-transformed in his bedroom, Adrien went straight for his bed and buried his head into his pillow. He felt the weight of Plagg settling on his shoulder but neither Adrien nor the kwami spoke.  
  
His chest heaved and his breathing came out in harsh exhales, but Adrien didn’t cry. He knew his father would be back from his shoot by mid-afternoon and he’d be damned if he embarrassed himself in front of two people today. Admitting to Ladybug that he cared about her was bad enough.  
  
Not cared about. Loved. He loved her.  
  
His fingers curled into fists against the pillow and he tried to focus on his breathing. He couldn’t stay de-transformed for long, knowing that Ladybug could call at any time and need his help. He may have embarrassed himself, but he would never deliberately leave her out there by herself. The stupid truth curse or not.  
  
For the first time, he didn’t know if he wanted her to learn his identity or not. Whatever she thought of Adrien, it didn’t matter. Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste were the same person wearing different masks.  
  
The sound of her voice when Ladybug said his name told him everything. She was looking for a way to let him down lightly. That’s why he never told her beyond teasing, never risked their partnership over his feelings.  
  
And now not even a Miraculous Ladybug could put this mess to right. Even as he told himself to get up, he stayed some time longer and tried not to think.  
  
“A-Adrien?”  
  
Adrien jerked upright and dislodged Plagg from his shoulder, who growled at the sudden move but hid himself away. The newcomer heard it, approaching the upper level of the bedroom where he laid on his bed.  
  
“Adrien?” The voice said, quieter now. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m here.”  
  
Adrien found himself on his feet before he could think twice, going over to lean against the rail and look down at the superhero standing in the middle of his bedroom.  
  
“Ladybug?” Adrien called, and her head jerked up to see him. He couldn’t be sure from the distance, but she looked tired, her shoulders slumped and her hair coming loose. “What are you doing here?”  
  
“I don't know," Ladybug muttered, scuffing her foot against the floor and dropping her gaze. She started to move toward the open window that she must have come through, “I shouldn’t be here. I’m about to de-transform and I need to feed my kwami.”  
  
Adrien didn't pretend not know about the kwami, instead started down the stairs after her retreating form. He had no idea why she choose him to come to. He and Ladybug had only interacted with each other a couple times before, to her knowledge. But as angry with himself as he might be over ruining their partnership, he couldn’t help but be lured in by her presence, as Chat or Adrien. He wanted her to stay.  
  
“Wait, Ladybug,” Adrien called, and she stopped short, her hair blowing in the afternoon breeze. The day felt too long for the sun still to be shining. He was missing fencing practice, now that he thought about it. It didn’t matter.  
  
“Look, how about this?” Adrien looked around for some place for her to hide. “You - you could go to my bathroom and we could just talk through the door? What does your kwami eat?”  
  
Ladybug half-turned back to him and, after some consideration, nodded, “Thanks, Adrien. She likes cookies.” Looking back to see Ladybug start to make her way to his bathroom, Adrien went down to the kitchens to see if cookies could be found in his health nut’s house. He found a box of them stashed atop the backup fridge and grabbed a stool to bring them down.  
  
By the time he returned, he heard voices behind the bathroom door, Ladybug and her kwami. Adrien tried to zone out what they were saying, but he caught the kwami say ‘Chat.’  
  
“I don’t know what to do, Tikki.” Ladybug said, sounding more indecisive than he had ever heard her sound before. Adrien cleared his throat.  
  
“Adrien?” Ladybug asked. Adrien noticed Plagg hovering close to the door and shooed him back. He zoomed away after making a face at Adrien.  
  
“Can I open the door a little? I have the cookies.” Adrien put his hand on the doorknob, but yelped when a small red and black figure went straight through the door and rammed into his chest.  
  
“Oops,” the kwami said, big blue eyes blinking up at him much cuter than Plagg’s devious cat eyes. The kwami grabbed hold of the edge of the cookie container. “I can take this. Thank you!” Once Adrien let go, she went back through the door, cookies in hand.  
  
“Tikki,” Ladybug scolded, “That wasn’t nice.” She sounded as if she were sitting on the floor, back propped against the door, so Adrien sat down and mimicked the position. Neither of them spoke for a second.  
  
“You defeated the akuma?” Adrien asked, unable to keep down the bitter thought that she hadn’t needed his help. At least it meant he was free from the truth curse.  
  
He heard her nod against the door, her hair rubbing against it. “Yeah. Once her truth telling rod was destroyed, she only had the scream power. I found some heavy duty noise-canceling headphones in a warehouse that I used to help fight her.” More to herself, she said, “But I wish Chat was there.”  
  
Adrien tensed, then forced himself to relax. “What happened to him?”  
  
Ladybug shifted against the door but didn’t talk immediately. The sound of Tikki munching away at the cookies made Adrien smile. “It’s my fault,” Ladybug sighed.   
  
“What do you mean?” Adrien asked, genuinely confused. She did nothing wrong.  
  
“Chat, he…” Ladybug paused. “I hurt him. He likes me, but I think I like someone else.”  
  
Him. Adrien wanted to laugh at the irony.  
  
“Would you tell me who you are, if I asked?” Adrien said softly, unsure if she even heard him. Instead of responding, he heard Ladybug stand and say to Tikki, “Spots on.” After a flash of red light, the door slid to the side behind him. Surprised, Adrien fell back onto the floor and looked upside down at Ladybug. She chuckled.  
  
“H-hi,” Adrien said weakly, waving his hand at her. She stepped around him, then extend her hand to help him up. When he stood, his cheeks flushed at the bare inches between them. Ladybug blinked and took a purposeful step back into the bedroom.  
  
“Keeping my identity secret is everything, Adrien,” Ladybug said. She grabbed her yo-yo from her waist and ran her fingers along the smooth surface. “And even though I feel like I know you, I would have to say no if you asked.” She tightened her hold on the yo-yo. “Chat and I are partners. He deserves to know first.”  
  
Adrien smiled at her, blinking hard. “I understand, Ladybug.”  
  
Ladybug met his gaze for a second before she darted forward, hand on his arm, and kissed his cheek. When she pulled back, her cheeks were flushed red. “Thanks, Adrien. This helped.”  
  
Once she disappeared out the window, Adrien smiled and said, “Glad I could assist you, my Lady.”


	9. Spotless, Breathless

Adrien didn’t come to school on Friday. When Alya asked about Adrien, after half a day had gone by and he seemed like he truly wouldn’t make it to school, Nino said Adrien's father took him out of town. If you listened to Nino, it was because Adrien’s dad heard about the auction and the date and wanted to put an end to it. Marinette hoped he wasn’t right.  
  
When Adrien returned to school the next Tuesday, his were shoulders slumped as he walked into the classroom, uncharacteristic from his normally proper posture born out of long practice.  
  
“Yo, bro, what’s wrong with you? I thought you were partying it up in the UK?”  
  
Marinette caught a smile flash on his face as Adrien sat down, “Yeah, Nino, you know me. Big partier here.”  
  
Nino had the propriety to look sheepish, reminded of the time he banished all parents in Paris so Adrien could have a birthday party. Not that everyone else in their class hadn’t had their moment as an akuma. Well, except Marinette. And Adrien, come to think of it. It was hard to imagine Adrien like that - he always seemed so happy and well mannered in school. She hoped he wouldn’t become one of Hawkmoth’s victims anytime soon.  
  
“Maybe we could hang at your place sometime and play video games, start you small on whole party scene.” Nino leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow at Alya.  
  
“Or,” Alya continued, leaning forward with a smug look that mirrored Nino’s. “We could host it at Marinette’s and get the benefit of really great food, too.” Alya winked at Marinette and Marinette had the dawning realization that the two of them were plotting together. She _knew_ Alya had been lying about not telling Nino about Adrien.  
  
“Yeah,” Adrien agreed, grinning up at Marinette with the most eager face that she knew she was going to say yes no matter what. “I mean, only if Marinette wanted to host.”  
  
Adrien, at her house, hanging out with Marinette instead of her superhero persona. Only something she’d been dreaming about ever since the first time Adrien came over. And if Alya and Nino were around, they could distract her parents from barging in every five seconds. “Of - of course. My parents let Alya hang out whenever and they know you from the tournament.”  
  
“And Nino looks harmless, so,” Alya added.  
  
“Uh, should I be offended by that?” Nino interjected, and they started to bicker back and forth. Marinette zoned out while she grabbed her supplies, and Adrien slipped out of the classroom appearing in a much better mood than before.  
  
“Guys?” Kim said from the window, leaning his face against the glass and fogging it with his breath. “We might not have class today.”  
  
Marinette raced to the window at his side before anyone else, and her eyes widened at the sight of a large man standing on the steps of the school in a pristine white jumpsuit, a clear spray bottle in one hand and a mop in the other, though the mop looked much more solid and menacing than Marinette thought a mop could ever look. Probably because he was waving it centimeters from Mr. Damocles’ face as the man cowered and tried to reason with him. That never tended to go well.  
  
“Sweet!” Alya said from Marinette’s other shoulder, having noticed the commotion. “I’ve been lacking in content for the Ladyblog.”  
  
Before Marinette could reply, to give the oft-ignored warning to stay out of the way, the big man seemed to tire of whatever Mr. Damocles was saying and sprayed him in the face with his spray bottle. Mr. Damocles tensed, and then he relaxed and looked at the big man before aimlessly wandering out of the way.  
  
“Woah, what did he do to Mr. Damocles?” Kim asked.  
  
“Nothing good,” Marinette muttered, then backed away from the window. Making sure no one paid her any attention, she ran out the door and into an empty classroom. Tikki flew out of her purse and Marinette initiated her transformation.  
  
——  
  
Ladybug flipped across the gymnasium floor to avoid Mr. Cleaner’s sprays, which left anyone in his path with a nasty brain wipe. Most of the spectators kept their distance, but Chloe had rushed up to Ladybug for an autograph and now wandered in circles in the corner of the room. Ladybug tried not to feel too pleased about that, because no one deserved to not know who they were, but if she had to pick…  
  
“You can’t evade me forever, Ladybug,” Mr. Cleaner boomed. Ladybug had deduced that Mr. Cleaner was actually a school janitor. Mr. Damocles told him he had to accept a pay cut or leave the school entirely, and he hadn’t taken kindly to either option. “Give me your miraculous or I’ll wipe your mind clean!”  
  
“I know she has some spots on her, but come on,” a familiar voice snarked, and Ladybug turned smiling toward him instinctively. Chat Noir smiled back from his position crouched on the second floor rail, then jumped down to her side.  
  
Chat scrunched up his nose as he examined their akumatized victim. “Is that the janitor?”  
  
Ladybug stared, wondering how he knew. She didn’t have time to consider it now. “Yeah, Mr. Martin. Don’t let him spray you, it gives you a bad dose of amnesia.”  
  
Chat eyed the spray bottle, “Gotcha. Cats hate being sprayed.”  
  
“I don’t know, kitty, maybe I should spray you every time you use puns.” They skidded out in opposite directions as Mr. Cleaner threw down his mop where they had just been standing. Ladybug still needed to figure out where his akuma was hiding.  
  
“My Lady, you’re hurting my felines,” Chat called, and used his baton to whack Mr. Cleaner’s mop away from his face. Mr. Cleaner stumbled back and Ladybug heard the jiggle of keys at his belt. She zeroed in on them and saw the distinctive dark glow.  
  
“His keys!” Ladybug called to Chat. Mr. Cleaner stopped his attack against Chat and turned to Ladybug. She had already tried to rip the mop from his grip with her yo-yo, but he held it tight. Chat used Mr. Cleaner’s distracted state to enact his Cataclysm. Mr. Cleaner glanced back, but too late to prevent Chat from slicing his mop in half and crumbling it to pieces.  
  
“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug shouted, throwing her yo-yo into the air. She yelped in surprise when a pail full of water crashed down into her arms, some of it splashing over the lip onto her. Her eyes darted around the room, trying to figure out how it could help her. Then she looked to the support beams above Mr. Cleaner and threw her yo-yo.  
  
She flew up above Mr. Cleaner’s head, yanking herself out of the way with her body weight to avoid the spray of demonic water. She landed on the support beams, water pail in hand, and smiled down at Mr. Cleaner. “Surprise,” she said, then dumped the water onto his face.  
  
Mr. Cleaner’s hands flew to his face to protect himself, and Chat used the distraction to jump forward and snag the akumatized keys from his belt. He threw them up to Ladybug, who stared at them before putting them beneath her foot and stomping down on them. The akuma must have weakened them, because the keys snapped and the dark butterfly flew out from under her foot, which she caught with an easy toss of her yo-yo. After freeing it, Ladybug threw her yo-yo to the air to revert everything back to normal. Then she dropped down to ground level and picked the confused janitor up onto his feet.  
  
Chat threw out his hand and Ladybug returned the fist bump. “Pound it!” The said in unison, grinning and coming down from the high of the fight. Then Chat’s face turned serious.  
  
“Ladybug, can we talk in private?” He started walking toward an open classroom without waiting for her response and Ladybug followed, nerves rising as she remembered the last akuma attack. It had been nearly a week and she still didn’t know what to say to him.  
  
Ladybug shut the door behind her and spoke before Chat could, “Chat, you’re running out of time. I'm sorry about last week, but—”  
  
Her words dried up as Chat came closer, invading her personal space. She had room to back up, to leave, but she stayed, her eyes wide as she looked up at Chat. His eyes flicked down to her lips and he licked his own, which drew her attention downward before she corrected herself and met his gaze. Which was the wrong move, because the heat of nerves compounded ten times at the intensity of his gaze. She felt herself turn bright red and was somewhat relieved to see his cheeks and neck colored as well.  
  
“I wasn’t kitten, my Lady, about what I said before.” Chat said, punning even now. It almost made her laugh. “Can I do something crazy?”  
  
“Aren’t you always?” Ladybug replied, and she didn’t imagine his head ducking down, getting closer to hers.  
  
“You love it,” Chat replied, and she could feel his breath on her face.  
  
A smile tugged at her lips, “Maybe.”  
  
She knew it was coming, but she started at his gloved hand on her chin, tilting her face up gently. When he leaned down to hover centimeters from her lips, his eyes watched her. When she slipped her own eyes closed, he leaned in that final bit more and kissed her.  
  
It wasn’t like before, when she yanked Chat down into a forceful kiss to break the akuma’s power over him. That had been quick and messy, a duty to prevent her partner from hurting anyone.  
  
Chat kissed slowly, his lips hesitant against hers, afraid she would pull back at any moment. But curiosity welled up inside her and she put her hand on his neck, pushing up onto her toes to bring him closer. She opened her mouth against his and he followed, his arm dropping to her waist to bring her in, her chest brushing up against his. The sounds of school returning to normal after the attack were dulled by the sound of her heart beating strong and fast and the heat that sent electric sparks through her body.  
  
She felt Chat’s magic buzz against her skin, a warning, and she went to pull back. More confident now, Chat followed her mouth and murmured against her lips, “Don’t open your eyes.”  
  
“You should go,” Ladybug whispered back, drawing her hand away from his neck but still pressing in against him, lips drifting to kiss the corner of his mouth. She could get addicted to this rush. “I’m running out of time.”  
  
He dropped his hand from her waist and she immediately missed the weight of it. He kissed her one more time before he drew back, and Ladybug kept her eyes closed until she heard the door click shut behind her. After a second, she de-transformed and opened her eyes to an empty classroom.  
  
Marinette leaned against the door with a sigh and tried to collect herself.  
  
She didn’t look at Adrien once in class, a vague sense of shame shadowing the memory of Chat’s kiss. She thought she knew what she wanted. Now she wasn’t so sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not how I planned this chapter to go down AT ALL. Hope you enjoy and thanks for the sweet comments and shout out on tumblr by skaylanphear. :) I suppose if anyone wants to find my over there, I'm shushupcj.


	10. High Skies

It worked. Adrien’s stupid plan worked. He kissed Ladybug and she _kissed him back_.

Two days since he kissed her, and Adrien still kept finding himself on the Ladyblog looking at Alya’s pictures and video of Ladybug in action. He probably looked like a fangirl, heck, like his own fangirls, but he didn’t care. Ladybug not only knew he existed, but she fought alongside him and now he had proof that she liked him too.

“Where’s my new stock of cheese?” Plagg said indignantly, distracting Adrien from watching one of their battles on mute. “You hid it, didn’t you? You’ve done me in. I’m ruined.”

Adrien looked over from his desktop monitors to where Plagg laid on his couch dramatically, limbs splayed out in defeat. “You ate it already. I told you to eat it slowly. I can only sneak in so much smelly cheese before the cook tells my father. Camembert is definitely not in my diet plan.”

“I need it,” Plagg moaned. “I can’t transform you if you don’t feed me properly.”

“How about this,” Adrien said, pushing his chair out and clambering to his feet. “We take a stroll, and then I’ll get you more camembert.” He didn’t wait for Plagg before he called the transformation, and the kwami howled in indignation. He slipped out his bathroom window and ran rooftops straight to the Eiffel Tower, part of him hoping to find his Lady there.

——

Chat recognized her red and black form from a distance, and made a point to be sneaky as he clambered up the tower above the tourists and their camera phone selfies. The afternoon sun glared into his eyes, but it couldn’t damper his good mood at seeing Ladybug. He dropped down onto the platform behind her, circling the tower with carefully placed steps. She remained completely oblivious to his approach, sitting cross-legged facing the river and concentrated on the sketchbook in her lap. They should probably work on that, come to think of it, to make sure neither of them gets caught unawares by an akuma.

“What’s a pretty bug like you doing up here?” Chat called once he crept within a few meters of her. Ladybug jumped, slamming the sketchbook shut as she whipped around. He didn’t expect the trace of panic in her face, the way her arms crossed over her chest, book in hand, body language screaming defensiveness and _don’t get any closer_.

“Chat? What are you doing here?” The almost accusative tone made him take a step back. She seemed realize it, her expression easing of tension and her hands dropping down into her lap. Ladybug’s gaze dropped to the ground. “Sorry. You surprised me.”

“Wanting alone time?” Chat asked, taking a cautious step forward. When she didn’t react, he took a few more steps before he dropped into a crouch an arm-length away.

“Yeah,” Ladybug muttered, “Something like that.”

“Want to talk about it?” Chat said, though he knew he verged on dangerous territory. They didn’t talk about their personal lives with each other, as any detail could accidentally reveal their identities.

Ladybug gave him assessing gaze as she turned fully away from the scenery and toward him. He had no idea what she expected to find there, but he waited for her speak. At last, she pursed her lips and glanced away. “I’m sorry, Chat.”

“Sorry?” Chat’s head tipped to the side, confused. Why was she saying sorry?

“I made a mistake, kissing you,” Ladybug said with her head bowed, fingers tracing the lines of her sketchbook. “I knew how you felt about me and I still let you.”

“Let me? You kissed me back!” Chat argued, his heart rate picking up. This wasn’t happening. Was she saying she didn’t mean the kiss? Why would she do that?

“It was a mistake,” she repeated. “I won’t pretend that I don’t like someone else, Chat. I don’t ever want to lie to you. But I have a chance to be with him now and I’m going to take it.” Ladybug tilted her head up and he saw her blinking fast, and could tell she was on the edge of tears. It wasn’t fair, that she could look like that as she went to tear him down like this. “I can’t let you continue to think that I’ll eventually change my mind. You deserve better than that.”

Ladybug drew herself up onto her feet, looking past him at the cityscape. Chat immediately stood as well, a thread of hope running through him. He could set this right, make her see what was right in front of her.

“If you would just let me tell you my identity-” Chat said, but she cut him off.

“Stop,” Ladybug said, choking on the word. She wasn’t looking at him, her eyes fixed on the sky past his shoulder. It drove him mad, her seeming inability to face him. But her next words hit him like a punch to the gut.

“Nothing you could say would change my mind.”

Ladybug barely let him absorb her words before she grabbed her yo-yo from her belt and Chat knew he only had a few seconds before she left him there. When Ladybug made her mind up, that was it. No one could change how she felt. He loved that about her.

They stood less than a meter apart, Ladybug’s body coiled tight as she went to throw the yo-yo. Reaching out, he pulled her throwing arm down with a hand on her wrist, loose so she could escape it if she really wanted to. She allowed it and finally looked him in the eye. Despite the tears in her eyes, she tried to school her expression blank. To put up a wall against him like ones he was so used to seeing on his father’s face. She hadn’t had his father’s practice, however, and he saw right through it.

“But I love you, my Lady.”

Ladybug flinched, mask breaking down entirely as she jerked back and out of his grip “Don’t do that, Chat.”

It hadn’t worked.

In one swift movement, Ladybug tossed the yo-yo above their heads and swung out into the air, a guided fall to the riverwalk below. Chat watched her go and felt his breath lose its rhythm, tears stinging his eyes. Once she was gone, he dropped to the ground below and ran to somewhere he could hide.

Tucked in a back alley, pressed against a dirty brick wall, he let the transformation go.

She didn’t like Adrien in that form, anyway. The thought made his fists clench and he glared down at the ring. He thought the ring would give him his freedom and a place to be free of his father’s frigidity. But in the end, Ladybug only wanted some idealized version of himself. Just like his father.

He ignored the silent presence of Plagg and, swallowing a gasping breath, he ripped the ring from his finger, roughly shoving it into his pants pocket. Adrien didn’t want to see it, a reminder of the girl who was supposed to be his other half.

Tearing spilling across his cheeks, he put his head down and started the winding walk home. Dropping his hand into his pocket, he felt something hard and small. It was a Ladybug token he found one day when he’d escaped his bodyguard to explore the city. He glared at it and went to throw it on the ground, but a dark butterfly settled on his fingers and a familiar voice filled his mind.


	11. White Fury, Pt. 1

Marinette wanted to take it all back. 

Chat’s face as she rejected him imprinted in her mind as she ran home and crashed down onto her bed, head in her hands. She thought she was doing the right thing. She wanted to be with Adrien, who was kind to everyone he knew and when he smiled at her it drove her into a stuttering mess. The boy who sat in front of her in class and complimented her designs. He was easy to fall in love with.

Chat Noir acted as a gentleman in his own right, but he was also a flirt and she used to think he didn’t have a serious bone in his body. He proved himself, however, every time he ran straight into a fight, even without Ladybug at his back to get rid of the akuma, so that he could save the city and her from danger. All with a cheesy smile on his face. She loved him as her partner, but she didn’t know what to do with him outside the strict confines of the fight. She spent so much time carefully hiding her identity from him she had no idea where to begin if she actually wanted to let him in. So she took the coward’s option and shut him out.

“Marinette,” Tikki said, and the sympathy in her voice was too much for her.

“Go away, Tikki,” Marinette muttered into her pillowcase, and thankfully Tikki listened. She let herself wallow in self-pity until her phone buzzed at her elbow and she leaned up on her side. Alya.

Marinette answered the call but cut the video. Alya’s cheerful voice filled the speaker, “Hey girl! Wait, why can’t I see you?”

“Sorry,” Marinette croaked, and she coughed into her hand. “The internet isn’t working very well.”

“Bummer,” Alya said, but her excitement returned in a second. “Marinette, you have to hear this. Supposedly there are reports of another Chat Noir lookalike running around Paris. Sweet, right? I’m trying to get a location, but apparently he’s moving erratically all over the city. Weird, isn’t it? I wonder what he wants.”

“Chat Noir?” Marinette said, sitting up. “Are you sure?”

“Well…” Alya said, the sound of her fingers against her keyboard audible over the phone. “Reports are saying that the guy looks like Chat Noir, expect he’s wearing all white. Not the best camouflage, but I guess akumas aren’t really in it for the disguise.”

“Are you sure it’s an akuma?” Marinette pressed, but she went down the ladder to where Tikki sat munching on cookies.

“Uh, what else would it be?” Alya laughed, “Since when are you so curious? Finally caught the Ladybug?”

“Hah, hah,” Marinette replied, “Look, I gotta go. Send me updates and don’t get caught.”

“Please I’m an old hat at this. Nothing surprises me now. Talk later girl!” Alya hung up and when Marinette turned to Tikki, the kwami was already floating at her side.

“Do you know what this is?” Marinette asked. Tikki shook her head, worried.

“No. But I can’t sense Plagg.”

“What do you mean?” Marinette asked, her mind immediately turning the real Chat Noir. Had something happened to him?

“I don’t know, Marinette. You need to transform and figure out what’s happened.” Tikki instructed.

Marinette nodded. “Right. Tikki, Spots On!”

——

Ladybug searched downtown for this mysterious white Chat Noir, but she couldn’t find him. She found traces of his presence however, cars with scratches embedded in their doors and people waving her down to say that a white figure had been stalking about their neighborhood.

It unnerved her. This behavior didn’t fit with the normal akuma MO. Maybe this white Chat wasn’t akumatized at all, just some loser who wanted to pull a prank on Ladybug. The idea made her seethe. Of all days, today was not one to play with her. But with Plagg missing, she worried it wasn’t that simple.

Her yo-yo began to vibrate at her belt and she grabbed it, hoping to see her partner’s face as an assurance he was okay. She flipped open the yo-yo and frowned at the image before her, someone who looked so similar to Chat with the same hair and luminescent eyes, even more vibrant than usual. But the white mask and ears jarred the image of familiarity. So too did the cruel tilt of the lookalike’s mouth.

“Looking for me, my Lady? Sorry to keep you, I had business to attend to before our meeting.” He even sounded like Chat.

“Who are you?” Ladybug demanded. “Where’s Chat?”

The white Chat laughed, “Oh, he’s here with me. Along with one of your devout fans.” The Chat titled the screen to the side, revealing a grainy image of Alya standing against a wall with her hands tied above her head, thrashing silently in her restraints, gagged.

“Let her go,” Ladybug grit out.

He laughed again, and the self-satisfied sound grated against her ears. She wanted to reach through the communicator and throttle him. How dare he go after her friends. “My tracker’s on, Ladybug, so come out and find me.” The grin sharpened into something of a snarl, “After all, you owe me a date.”

The scene blanked out and Ladybug gasped.

_Adrien._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, sorry for the darker turn? I swear this was supposed to be lighthearted and fluffy! Thanks for all the great comments, I love reading them.


	12. White Fury, Pt. 2

Ladybug dropped down to street level outside the building where Adrien’s locator signal had led her. Glancing up at the nameplate above the large, metal doors, she realized that this was the same place she took Chat after he had been attacked by Truth Seeker. That couldn’t be a coincidence. How did Adrien know about this place?

Her questions had to wait. Her friends’ safety came first. Ladybug pulled the heavy door open and peered inside. The large cavernous space appeared empty, but the lighting was scant, the warehouse only lit with dim backup lights. Slipping inside, she felt like she had encased herself in a tomb. Adrien had brought her to a place where he had a distinct advantage, if he too possessed Chat’s night vision. Her head tilted up to the ceiling’s exposed beams and smiled grimly. She had advantages here too.

Winding deeper into the warehouse, she began to hear a voice echo off the walls. Closing in on the source, she hid behind a large shelving unit and listened.

“Dear Ladybug fans, today spells the end of Ladybug and Chat Noir. Have no fear, I’ll do a much better job of protecting this city.” A pause, then a chuckle. “Well, looks like I have company. Chat Blanc out.”

Ladybug threw her yo-yo to the top of the unit, curving up in the air so she landed on top of it just as Adrien — Chat Blanc — turned around. He set a phone with a Ladybug tassel down on a cleared workspace, his keen eyes drawn immediately to where she crouched. Behind him, thrashing against the wall, Alya stood with her hands tied but legs free, which she used without result to kick out and attempt to strain the fine rope around her wrists. Ladybug searched for a second figure in the dark, but Chat Noir was nowhere to be found. Had Chat Blanc already stolen his Miraculous from him? Was that why Tikki couldn’t sense Plagg?

Chat Blanc leaned on his staff, seeming amused at her confusion. “I see you found me alright, Ladybug. Here I am, Chat Blanc at your service. You know, someone should have told your reporter friend here not to listen to strangers on the internet.” He gave her a toothy grin. “They lie to get what they want.”

“Let her go,” Ladybug said.

“I’m almost tempted. After all, she’s only bait for the real prize.” Chat Blanc pointed the staff at Ladybug. “You. However, I think I’ll make this game. Shall we, Lady?”

“Where’s Chat Noir?” Ladybug demanded.

“Not satisfied with me? One task at a time, little bug.”

His mocking infuriated her, and she jumped down from the unit to shut him up. As her feet hit the floor, he swung his baton, and Ladybug had to duck and roll away. She rolled up onto her feet a few meters away and threw her yo-yo to wrap around his ankle, dragging him off his feet and sliding toward her. Ladybug looked for where his akuma could be hiding, but she saw nothing immediately suspicious.

Chat Blanc growled and held his baton above his head, extending it out so it slammed into her stomach. She doubled over and yanked the yo-yo loose, backing away gasping for breath. This gave Chat Blanc the time to return his feet, baton spinning in his hand. He stood again in front of Alya, who tried to kick him. While he remained obvious, too far from her attempted attack, Ladybug smiled at her. Alya was hardly a damsel, even in distress.

“Wishing you had your kitty now?” Chat Blanc said, “I would take this time to tell you to give up and hand me your Miraculous, but I know you too well to waste my breath.”

Ladybug ignored his taunts and threw her yo-yo to a support beam. She launched herself into the air and kicked Chat Blanc in the chest, swinging in a wide arc around him to avoid his parrying thrust with the baton. She landed in front of Alya and began to pull at the knots around Alya’s wrist. She really needed Chat’s Cataclysm right now.

Alya gestured her head frantically behind Ladybug. Chat Blanc had found his feet, brushing his hair loose of dirt and grim. The small gesture reminded her that this was Adrien she fought. She never imagined he could look like this, brisling with ill-contained anger.

“Why are you fighting me?” Ladybug asked. “What did I do to you, Adrien?”

Chat Blanc didn’t bother to answer, lunging forward and thrashing out with the baton. She dived for the cleared table, flipping up onto it. He missed her by a mile, and growled in distaste. In fact, it seemed like the first time in the fight she’d caught him off-kilter. His anger made him less focused. Now if only she knew what he was angry about.

Ladybug dogged another strike and retreated to higher ground on another support beam. “What, cat got your tongue?”

Chat Blanc threw his baton at her head. Ladybug ducked down against the beam, but shot her hand out to catch the weapon. She grinned down at him, and his dumbstruck face told her he hadn’t anticipated that.

Ladybug dropped to the floor, yo-yo and baton spinning in each hand. He scowled, “You think you’re so good, don’t you?”

Ladybug smirked, “Yeah, I do actually.” Keeping a steady eye on Chat Blanc, she backed up toward Alya. Holding the staff like a shield, Ladybug half-turned toward Alya and raised the yo-yo above her head. She ran it against Alya’s bounds and the rope snapped under her unbreakable string. Alya pulled her arms down and fumbled with still bound hands to pull the gag out of her mouth.

“Run,” Ladybug told her. Alya went to protest, but Ladybug cut her off. “ _Run_ , Alya.” Awkwardly snatching her phone up from the worktable, Alya did as she was told and Ladybug redirected her attention to Chat Blanc.

“Now,” Ladybug said darkly, approaching him with both weapons spinning. “You’re going to tell me what you did to Chat Noir.”

“Me?” Chat Blanc said, gesturing toward himself with a scoff. “What about what you did?”

She had enough of his evasive non-answers. “Adrien. Where is Chat?”

Chat Blanc looked down at himself, “What, you don’t recognize me Bugaboo? The white suit can’t throw you off that much.”

The familiar nickname caught her off guard. Could Adrien be…. No. No way. The akuma was lying. “I’ve seen this before. Copycat looked just like Chat, too.”

“Copycat was a poor imitation of me. He didn’t know you at all.” Chat Blanc stalked forward, and even weaponless, Ladybug had to push herself to stand her ground. “I know you, Ladybug. You play nice and sweet, but I see past it now. You use people. You used me. I loved you and you ripped my heart apart.” Chat Blanc’s fist curled at his side. “You don’t deserve your Miraculous.”

“ _Chat_ ,” Ladybug breathed. She believed him. She understood now why Chat had been so insistent about revealing his identity. Because he and Adrien were the same. She’d rejected Chat for himself, but in doing so had conveyed to him something much worse: that she’d never love him, no matter who he was behind the mask. He had every right to be angry.

“My Lady,” Chat said, giving her a mocking bow. “If it helps, I mean this with all of my heart. Cataclysm!”

Chat’s white claw glowed darkly as he stalked toward her.

“Please, Chat, listen to me.” Ladybug said, dodging back as he attempted to scratch her. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s too late for sorry, my Lady,” Chat Blanc said, carefully avoiding the swing of his own baton at his face. He had one shot to attack her, and he meant to hold onto it. Ladybug backed up again, but she inched closer and closer to backing herself into the wall. As much as she wanted to talk to him, now wasn’t the time to do it. This was an akuma, leaching off Chat’s pain. She needed a way out.

“Catch!” She threw the baton in his face and he caught it on instinct, the Cataclysm crackling along his weapon and shattering it. She used his distraction to throw her yo-yo up and reversed their positions. Chat Blanc whipped around, back to the wall facing her.

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug threw her yo-yo to the air and a small object landed in her hand. A magnet. She had no time to think on it before Chat ran for her, dragging her tumbling onto the ground before she could protect herself. She held his sharp claws away from her face by his wrists, but his strength near equaled hers. She couldn’t keep him at bay for long.

Her eyes darted down to his snarling mouth and she wondered… it had worked as a strategy once before. Yanking his hands above her head and trapping them together in her right hand, she jerked Chat Blanc’s head down to kiss him with the other hand. Taking advantage of his surprise, she dropped her hand from his neck, magnet held between her fingers, and dragged it down his side, hoping her instincts were right. She felt the slight pull and snap of something pulling from Chat Blanc’s belt at his waist and attaching to the magnet. Without looking at it, she slammed the magnet down on the concrete floor and felt the object break.

Coming back to his senses, Chat Blanc drew back and, as she watched, the suit flashed out of existence and Adrien stared down at her, maskless, eyes gazed with post-akuma confusion. Ladybug sighed with relief, letting her head fall back against the cold floor.


	13. Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhh so it's my birthday (first legal drink stateside, woo) and I'm leaving the country tomorrow, but here you go! Not sure how long the next update might take, could be quick or could be a little while. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

“Uh,” Adrien said, finding himself braced on his hands and knees over Ladybug as she tried to squirm out from beneath him. Adrien scrambled backward immediately, confusion battling with ingrained gentlemanly conduct. He fell back onto a cement floor and watched in silence as Ladybug purified a butterfly and threw a small object in the air, saying, “Miraculous Ladybug!”  
  
He watched in horror as the realization hit him. Brain fuzzy as it was, Adrien remembered being upset, so upset he’d taken off his ring and left himself vulnerable to Hawkmoth. A vulnerability that the villain clearly took advantage of.  
  
“I’m so sorry, Ladybug.” Adrien said, unable to look at her as turned back to him. He saw her crouch down next to him in his periphery, but he focused his attention on the building they were in. A warehouse, by the looks of it. One Adrien recognized from after his confrontation with Truth Seeker.  
  
“Don’t apologize,” Ladybug said gently. “Hawkmoth takes advantages of our emotions.” Ladybug put out her hand, and in it he saw his small Ladybug token that must have housed the akuma.  
  
“Thanks,” Adrien replied, still feeling guilty but taking back the token and storing it in his pocket all the same. His fingers brushed something smooth and hard, and he breathed out in relief as he recognized the familiar shape of his ring. He hadn’t lost it to Hawkmoth. Here it was, in his jeans pocket. _Plagg_. Adrien need to give his kwami so much cheese.  
  
“Adrien? I need to tell you something,” Ladybug said, lowering down from the crouch to sit beside him. She bit her lip, and Adrien straightened up from his slouch, pulling his legs up against his chest and bracing his arms on them. He tried to push down the overwhelming fear that she knew, his identity had been revealed, even after her many attempts to keep their civilian and costumed identities separate.  
  
“Adrien, I-” Ladybug stuttered, and he could tell she was flustered. “You must think so little of me.”  
  
“Wh-what?” Adrien asked, instinctively wanting to grab her hand and erase the pained look on her face. “What are you talking about?”  
  
“You think I only like you because of your name,” Ladybug said. Adrien stared, his mind running one panicked thought through his head: _Oh my God, what did I say to her?_  
  
“No, no, not at all, Ladybug!” Adrien said, trying to reassure her.  
  
Ladybug shook her head, “No, Adrien, you were right to think that. I think that’s part of why I was so crazy about you at first — you were Adrien Agreste, famous model.” Her cheeks blossomed red. “But then you were so nice to everyone, and you’ve never said a bad thing about anyone in our class, not even Chloe. And you’re funny. I can’t believe I never–”  
  
“ _Our_ class?”  
  
“Plus, the whole superhero thing doesn’t hurt.”  
  
“Superhero?” Adrien parroted.  
  
Ladybug raised her eyebrow, a mischievous glint in her eye. “Did you hit your head, kitty?”  
  
“Wait, I,” Adrien stumbled, and took in a deep breath. “You just said we’re in class together. An-and you know who I am. Explain.”  
  
Her mocking grin disappeared. A strange nervousness overtook her, and Ladybug started playing with her hair, wrapping the ends of it around her finger. “Do you remember when you lent me your umbrella?” Ladybug asked. She wasn’t quite looking at him, staring instead at his shoulder.  
  
Umbrella? Neither Chat nor Adrien had ever given Ladybug an umbrella before, he was sure of it. But if Ladybug knew knew his civilian identity, maybe she meant when he interacted with her civilian self?  
  
It hit him. He remembered the gentle patter of rain as he trailed a girl he had just met out of school, desperate to make things right with her and prove to her he was a decent person. He remembered her dark hair and soft laugh when the umbrella collapsed on her head and the giddy feeling that stayed with him hours later as he swore to himself that they were going to be great friends. How she wore her hair in pigtails just like Ladybug did, and her eyes were the same vibrant shade of blue. He could barely believe that, maybe, while he remained oblivious to it all, they had become friends. Partners.  
  
“ _Marinette_?” Adrien asked, and startled both of them when the walls echoed her name back to him.  
  
Ladybug smiled the same timid smile he’d seen on Marinette countless times. “I still have the umbrella, if you want it back.” He opened his mouth, unsure what he even meant to say because _Marinette,_ the girl who sat behind him in class _, was Ladybug_. Before he could wrap his mind around the idea, Ladybug flashed a brilliant red before him. He’d forgotten her time was running out.  
  
Blinking at the sight of Marinette Dupain-Cheng peering out at him between her fingers, he wondered if that hadn’t been intentional on her part.  
  
“Hi,” she said weakly, waving her hand at him.  
  
Adrien stared, wordless, until he found a grin pulling at his lips. He started laughing and found he couldn’t stop, doubling over with it. This was ridiculous. _They_ were ridiculous. He glanced up to catch her eye, and he could see her own hesitant smile. It reminded him again of the moment in the rain.  
  
Adrien guessed they had to relearn their way around each other all over again.  
  
Reining in his laughter, he looked at his classmate in a new light. He had always thought of Marinette as a leader, someone the other kids in their class looked up to. She stood up to Chloe and defended her friends. She was talented, making posters for Kim and Alix’s latest antics and drawing beautiful designs in class.  
  
Now he knew what she looked like brave, standing on a rooftop planning their next attack strategy. Knew her humor and the sound of her laugh when she made a mockery of Chat and his puns. She had always been so reserved around Adrien, and he wanted to hit himself for not seeing it before.  
  
She _liked_ him.  
  
Being with Ladybug was a dream, a fantasy almost. When he flirted with her, he meant it but in the same breathe didn’t expect her to dish it back to him. Kissing her in the classroom of his school – he hadn’t planned that, nor had he known how to proceed after it.  
  
Ladybug’s rejection hurt not only because he thought she rejected him for a more idealized version of himself, but because he thought they’d moved past games, that that had been real. Looking at Marinette now, he realized what her apology meant. Marinette knew Adrien, weird, dorky Adrien that said stupid things and played video games and had never had a real birthday party. She didn’t like him because he was Adrien Agreste. She liked him because he was Adrien, period.  
  
Adrien extended his hand and Marinette stared at it. “Hey Ladybug, I’m Adrien.”  
  
Marinette chuckled, her confidence returning as she took his hand and gave it a firm shake. “Hi there, Chat Noir. I’m Marinette.”  
  
“Fancy meeting you here, my Lady.”  
  
“Same for you, kitty.”  
  
And for a moment, the tension of all the things they needed to talk about simmered down as they clambered to their feet, two teenagers laughing at their own joke.


	14. After Effects

“He knows who I am now.”  
  
Marinette stopped spinning in the desk chair, placing her foot flat against her bedroom floor. Adrien had come to her house after the warehouse fight, both agreeing they needed to talk. Marinette’s mind had wandered from Hawkmoth to the closed hatch door that separated her and Adrien from her parents. She tried to look at Adrien and settle her nerves by reminding herself this was Chat, but it didn’t do her much good. She liked both sides of him.  
  
That trail of thought disappeared at his words. Adrien sat slumped over on her couch, elbows on his knees and head leaned against his palm. His body was turned away from her, hiding his expression in his hand. But while she might not know Adrien that well, she knew Chat. He blamed himself.  
  
Marinette stood and began walking to his side before she consciously planned the move. She sunk down on the couch next to him and put her hand on his shoulder.  
  
“Adrien,” Marinette said, her words loud in the silence. “This isn’t your fault.”  
  
“I took off my ring,” Adrien muttered into his hand. “I could have lost Plagg.” Adrien glanced up then, to the corner where Tikki and Plagg munched on cookies and cheese, Plagg studiously ignoring the mention of himself. When Adrien had put the ring back on, after some urging from Marinette, Plagg only shook his head at Adrien and darted up to rub against Adrien’s chin, voicing his demands for a cheese raise. Adrien’s face was awash with relief as he agreed, petting the kwami behind his ears.  
  
“You’re allowed to make mistakes,” Marinette said, using her most authoritative Ladybug voice.  
  
Adrien shifted on the couch to face her, and Marinette could see from the worry in his wide eyes that he didn’t totally believe her. Marinette had made mistakes plenty of times as Ladybug, and Chat had never held it against her. She may be the more powerful of the two, but she knew how important he was to her in a fight and in their friendship. This fear didn’t come from Chat Noir, who knew his value to Ladybug. This was rooted in the anxieties of Adrien Agreste, a boy she barely knew.  
  
“I endangered Plagg,” Adrien said, and then his gaze flicked down to the floor. “I could have hurt you.”  
  
Marinette squeezed his shoulder. She wanted to convey to him that these things didn’t matter to her, and that she wouldn’t be holding them against him later. Marinette felt a spike of resentment toward Adrien’s father, who for all she knew might do such a thing to Adrien. The words Mr. Agreste said to Ladybug when she went to protect him came back to her. _He’s like his mother, way too overly dramatic._ He taunted his son’s worry while Adrien was still in earshot.  
  
“You didn’t hurt me,” Marinette replied firmly, and she waited until Adrien met her eye again before continuing. “And I think you forgot that I… I hurt you first. I shouldn’t have done what I did on the tower.”  
  
Adrien’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment. “I overreacted. And now I know it’s you, so.”  
  
With the direction of the conversation turned toward her, Marinette felt herself blush and awkwardly pulled her hand from his shoulder. “Is that okay?”  
  
“Oh, of course!” Adrien said quickly, and he caught her wrist between his fingers before she could pull back fully. She jumped at the contact, but Adrien didn’t seemed to notice. “You’re really cool, Marinette. I mean, you’re Ladybug. You don’t _bug_ me at all.”  
  
Marinette grinned, “You don’t make bad jokes at school. Ashamed to pull out your lame puns without your cat suit?”  
  
Adrien straightened and puffed out his chest, all Chat. “My lady, you may try to deny my talents, but I know you laugh at my jokes.”  
  
“How are you sure I’m not laughing at you? And don't think I didn’t notice you evading my question.”  
  
Adrien shrugged self-consciously, “I tell them to Nino all the time.” He laughed. “Nino said all that alone time in my mansion gives me too much spare time. But, I mean, we didn’t really talk much at school. I kind of thought you thought I was weird, so I kept them to a minimum.”  
  
Marinette blinked at the idea of Adrien worried about what she thought of him. That _Chat_ worried about what Marinette thought of him. “That act won’t work on me anymore,” Marinette replied, “I know you too well.”  
  
Adrien grinned mischievously, a look she’d never seen on his civilian self, and leaned forward. “And _I_ now know that you like me.”  
  
Marinette froze, her mind reverting to an Adrien Agreste induced panic. Adrien looked at her like they were sharing a joke, but Marinette’s mind flashed to Chat kissing her in the empty classroom. She wanted to kiss him again. Her eyes darted down to his lips, and Adrien’s mouth parted slightly as he clued into her trail of thought. She became hyper focused on his fingers around her wrist and his knee brushing against hers. Marinette breathed in sharply.  
  
“Yeah, I do,” Marinette said softly, eyes glued to his jawline, too nervous to look up. “Dumb jokes and all.”  
  
A knock sounded on the hatch before it was propped open, Sabine’s head appearing in the gap. Adrien darted backward, his warm fingers gone from her skin. Sabine watched them, smiling, and said, “Dinner is ready. Is Adrien staying for the meal?”  
  
Marinette looked to Adrien in askance, and he stared back. Marinette cleared her throat, “Yeah, Mom. He’ll stay.”  
  
“Great. Come down when you’re ready.” Sabine disappeared back downstairs, but the mood had turned awkward. Marinette wondered if she shouldn't have invited Adrien for dinner. Maybe they could make up some excuse…  
  
“Thanks, Marinette,” Adrien said, and Marinette turned back to him. He now sat a good distance away from her on the couch, but he looked comfortable. Not weirded out or wanting to leave. “I love your parents’ food.”  
  
Marinette remembered the night Chat came for dinner and she slumped down on the couch with a groan. She stared up at the ceiling, mortified. “Ugh, my mom is going to think I have a hoard of blond guys I like to bring over for dinner.”  
  
Adrien snickered, and it was such a Chat thing to do that she threw the spare pillow on the ground behind her at his face. Adrien caught it easily, and then used it to plop down on his stomach next to her and stretch out the length of the couch. His face ended up a few centimeters from her chest, and he grinned lazily down at her, propped up on the pillow and his arms. No wonder Chat liked to strike ridiculous poses on roof tops all the time. He was a _model_.  
  
“But I’m really the only blond guy you bring around for dinner, right?” Adrien asked, and Marinette blushed all over again, trying to ignore how attractive that flirty confidence looked on him. And also the fact that her crush was literally laid out before her, looking like he thought the world of her.  
  
“Guess you’ll have to see!” Marinette said in a rush and, in very un-Ladybug like fashion, stood and ran down the stairs.  
  
Marinette dropped three forks and knife on the ground through the course of dinner. Adrien grinned at her every time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It looks like the next chapter will be the last! This has been such a fun piece, and thanks to everyone who has left such nice comments!


	15. The Date

Marinette walked him downstairs to the side door after dinner. Adrien opened his mouth to say the line he'd been rehearsing to himself all through dinner, hoping he wasn't about to royally embarrass himself.  
  
“Hey,” Adrien said, pausing with his hand on the doorknob. “Ladybug still owes me a date.” He raised his eyebrows at her over his shoulder. “You know, for charity.”  
  
Marinette’s cheeks colored prettily. “I-uh. Yes? I mean, sure? For charity?”  
  
“For charity,” Adrien reassured her seriously. “Friday?”  
  
“Yeah,” Marinette breathed. “Pick me up at six. Don’t be late, Agreste.”  
  
——  
  
Adrien was late.  
  
His afternoon had been perfectly ordered. He would go to fencing practice, take a shower, spend some time goofing off and ordering more stinky cheese for Plagg, get dressed and arrive at Marinette’s house a comfortable five minutes prior to six. It all worked out perfectly in his head.  
  
Adrien hadn’t planned on being cornered by his father, who had been out of town the last few days on an emergency business trip in London. Or Rome. Adrien tuned Nathalie out once he got the gist of it.  
  
“Adrien, come sit.” His father ordered after Nathalie had dragged him, still stinking from fencing practice, into his father’s office. Adrien was honestly most surprised that his father hadn’t waited for him to be clean and presentable before this little meeting. It made Adrien nervous.  
  
“Father,” Adrien said, sitting down on the edge of the chair before him. “What is it? I’m hanging out with Nino tonight–”  
  
“I’m sure Mr. Lahiffe can wait, Adrien,” his father said firmly, and Adrien’s long developed training was all that kept him from slumping over in his seat. That, and he really wasn’t in the mood for a posture lecture on top of whatever else his father had brought him in here for.  
  
“Right,” his father said when Adrien stayed quiet. “I’ll get straight to the point: You are not to have any more associations with the so-called superhero Ladybug.”  
  
Adrien stared at his father, aware that he was gaping at him but unable to find the composure to care. “What? Father, I–”  
  
“None,” he retorted icily. “She is a bad influence on you and I will not have my son corrupted by a girl so obsessed with her own celebrity she would use you to keep herself at the top of the news cycle.”  
  
Adrien half rose out of his seat in indignation, “Use me? I asked _her_ on a date! If anyone is using anyone around here, it’s me!”  
  
His father didn’t bother to reply immediately, taking off his glasses and rubbing the lenses against his sleeve. “You are naive, Adrien. I would explain this to you, but I’m afraid you’re in too much of a state to understand. You will not speak to Ladybug again.”  
  
"Is that all?" Adrien asked, chancing a taunting tone.  
  
His father looked him over, and Adrien thought he saw concern before his face transformed to cold marble once again. "Stay away from her Adrien. The girl is dangerous and she will only end up putting you in harm’s way. I don't want to fight you, son."  
  
So this was about coddling Adrien, like always. Adrien dug his nails into the fine upholstery of the chair, but waited for his father's nod in dismissal before he stalked out and up to his room. The conversation rattled him, but he still felt too guilty toward Plagg to complain about it. He paced instead. The mere idea of Ladybug being dangerous, with or without the knowledge of the girl behind the mask, was absolutely ridiculous to him. Hawkmoth was dangerous. Ladybug and he were only doing their best to stop him.  
  
"Hey, don't you have that date with Ladybug soon?” Plagg called, his voice tinny from inside his favorite trash can. "Not that I mind, but don't you need to shower?"  
  
Adrien glanced at the clock: 5:45. Crap. He ran into the bathroom and moved fast through his routine, his mind jumping back to Marinette's warning: Don't be late. Adrien was on his way to ruining his date before it even began.  
  
By the time Adrien got out of the shower and picked the first nice outfit he found in his closet (which admittedly wasn't hard), it was a few minutes after six. Adrien called Gorilla and drove to Marinette’s house. He saw her through the front window of the shop and jumped out. He pushed the door open with an apology on his lips, but she spoke before him.  
  
“Adrien! You’re, um, looking nice today.” Marinette said, looking him up and down. Adrien felt his face warm at the comment, which was unusual. Adrien spent most of his life hearing comments about his appearance, so he had learned to shrug it off. But this was Marinette, _Ladybug_. Adrien gave her a once over as well. Marinette wore a knee-length black pencil skirt and a flowing pink dress top, paired with a light coat of mascara and lipgloss. Even dressed up, she didn’t look very different, and Adrien found himself reassured by the familiarity of her small smile and, now that he noticed them, her ladybug earrings.  
  
“You too, Marinette,” Adrien replied, and Marinette bit her lip to suppress a smile. “Ready to go?”  
  
“Yeah, one second.” Marinette walked over to the corner and stepped behind it to grab a small bag, which she threw over her shoulder. Adrien looked at it curiously, but when Marinette didn’t immediately explain he led her out and into his car. The ride to the restaurant went quickly, and soon enough they were seated outside an upscale restaurant that Nathalie had recommended. Not that Nathalie knew about the date, but asking about a nice restaurant to take a friend to hadn’t been difficult to spin, and if she left the conversation thinking that he was taking Nino there, all the better.  
  
They sat in silence for a few minutes, flipping through the menus. Adrien noticed Marinette wince, probably at the price, and felt self-conscious of his wealth. It didn’t come up much at school, but every once in a while Adrien recommended a restaurant out of their price range or flying to America for a show that reminded him of his difference in class. He hoped she wasn’t feeling awkward next to the customers in suits and expensive dresses.  
  
As the silence stretched, Adrien tried to think of something to discuss. Fashion felt too close to home at the moment, but they did have mutual love of video games. Adrien went to ask her about the new Mecha Strike game when a thought occurred to him.  
  
“Oh, Marinette,” he said, and she raised her head from adjusting her cutlery. “ _Alya_.”  
  
Marinette seemed to follow his line of thought because she started twisting her hands in the napkin in her lap. She looked somewhat ashamed. “I _know_.”  
  
“What are you going to do when she finds out?” There was no 'if' here. Alya had set her heart on figuring out their identities and Adrien believed she had the determination to complete her mission. It made Adrien nervous to be around her at times, like if he said one wrong word she would look and him and know everything.  
  
“She’s going to kill me, Adrien,” Marinette moaned. “There will be no more secrete identity to hide when I’m dead and buried in an unmarked grave.”  
  
“Hey,” Adrien replied, mock affronted. “You think I’m going to let that happen? I can’t do this team thing without you.”  
  
“Aw,” Marinette said, propping her head up on her hand. “That’s sweet of you, kitty.”  
  
The waitress cleared her throat beside them, and Marinette promptly knocked over her empty water glass. The way their waitress smiled down at them indicated she had heard the term of endearment. Nickname. Adrien couldn’t be sure which one it was anymore.  
  
Once they ordered, Marinette resumed the conversation. “What do you think Nino would do if he found out?”  
  
Adrien chuckled. “Probably tell me how cool he thought it was, then ask me if he could record me doing parkour. He’d be way more interested in who you are, though. Not that I blame him.”  
  
“ _Adrien_ ,” Marinette said, hiding her face with her hands. Her embarrassment was kind of cute, but he liked seeing her face more. He reached out around the table and gently pulled her hand away from her face and onto the table. He left his hand atop of hers.  
  
He felt her watching their hands and became flustered. “Uh, is this okay or-”  
  
Marinette flipped her hand and twined their hands together. “Yeah, this is good.”  
  
They simply looked at each other a few seconds, smiling. Then the ground shook. Marinette narrowed her eyes. It shook again, the wine glasses rattling on the tabletop. A shout sounded down the street.  
  
“Seriously?” Marinette looked up at the ceiling like it offended her. “Now?”  
  
“My lady,” Adrien started, letting her hand go and rising his feet. “Would you do me the honor of accompanying me in this dance?”  
  
A weary smile broke through her scowl. “Yes, kitty. I think I will.”  
  
They snuck out the back of the restaurant and transformed behind a dumpster. Adrien watched the magic change her into Ladybug with fascination. God, this girl was the best. Ladybug went to move out into the open and find whomever was attacking the city now, but Chat put out a hand to stop her. “Wait, I want to say something.”  
  
“Now?” Ladybug put her hand on her hip in disapproval.  
  
“Ladybug,” Chat said in rush. “Will you be my girlfriend?”  
  
Ladybug shifted her weight onto her back foot but didn’t speak. Chat rushed on, “Look, I know that we haven’t figured out our latest problem with Hawkmoth and we would probably have to keep it secret to keep you from becoming a target, but I really like you.”  
  
“You want to be with me?” Ladybug asked, and Chat didn’t like her incredulous tone.  
  
“I’ve only been telling you that for ages,” Chat joked, and Ladybug laughed. He wanted to comment on how she definitely thought he was funny, but took a step forward instead. “Well? What do you say, my lady?”  
  
“I am _your_ lady, aren’t I? Might as well make it official.” She said it offhandedly, but he could tell she meant it. Ladybug took a step forward as well, close enough now that she had to tilt her head up to look him in the eye. Chat beamed down at her.  
  
“Hey, Chat?” Ladybug said, her hand settling on his arm at the crook of his elbow.  
  
He leaned in like they were about to share a secret. “Yeah?”  
  
“Can… can I kiss you?”  
  
Chat answered her by placing his own hand on the small of her back and leaning down until they were almost even, her bright blue eyes staring back him. He could barely believe he hadn’t recognized her every time she shyly met his gaze in class or when her eyes flashed in anger while arguing with Chloe. That the sound of Marinette’s laughter hadn’t immediately brought the sense of home he felt every time he fought alongside Ladybug and she laughed at whatever off-hand remark he made about the villain of the week.  
  
Not that any of that mattered now.

And if this girl was dangerous, it was only because he was dangerously close to saying something dumb like 'I love you.'  
  
Ladybug closed her eyes first and Chat followed, like in everything they did. Ladybug snaked her hand up his arm to wrap around his back. She pressed her lips against his in a firm, closed-mouth kiss. Ladybug shifted her head and their noses bumped. He felt her laugh against his lips. He pecked her mouth with one more kiss and pulled back to lean his forehead against hers. Muffled as the sounds were from their alley hideout, Chat could hear yelling tourists and feel the ground quaking beneath their feet. Paris needed them.  
  
“I can’t believe we just kissed next to a dumpster,” Ladybug muttered, but she continued to hold him against her.  
  
“You’re pretty great, you know that?” Chat replied, eyes still closed.  
  
Ladybug leaned back first, and he saw her fond look when he opened his eyes. “Lucky me, I know this guy who likes to remind me of that.”  
  
“Sounds annoying,” Chat said, pulling his baton from his back.  
  
“Nah,” Ladybug said, unclipping her yo-yo and throwing it at nearby roof. “He’s actually pretty great.”  
  
  
  
——  
  
  
  
“So what’s in the bag?”  
  
“Well, I thought if you paid for dinner, I could provide dessert.”  
  
“Aw, my lady, now you make me look bad.”  
  
“Guess that means you’ll have to take me on another date.”  
  
“I think I could manage that.”  
  
  
THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's done! Thanks for those who commented and supported this along the way, you helped bring this full circle.
> 
> To be continued? I wanted to leave it open to continuation, but we'll see if it happens. ;)


End file.
